Mon Valley Plants Ordered to Submit Plan to Reduce Emissions Earlier this week, the Allegheny Health Department issued an order requiring the Mon Valley Works to submit a plan outlining actions and specific steps they are going to take to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions that have been polluting the surrounding communities since the December 24 […]
Toxic Manganese Exposure and its Effects
Toxic Manganese Exposure and its Effects Manganese is a very useful and important element. It is used in the production of dry cell batteries, fuel additives, fungicides, paint, and adhesives. It is also used for steel production, the production of potassium permanganate (a disinfectant), the creation of glass and ceramics, matches and fireworks, welding rods, […]
Toxic Exposures Threaten Superfund Sites
Toxic Exposures Threaten Superfund Sites In 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) was enacted in response to a growing numbers of hazardous waste sites that were releasing toxic chemicals and polluting the environment. The program known as Superfund was designed to clean up these hazardous sites by having the responsible parties […]
No Such Thing as “Safer” Types of Asbestos
No Such Thing as “Safer” Types of Asbestos There are six different types of asbestos that occur naturally throughout the world, each having characteristics that make it useful in certain compounds. Some argue that some of these types are “safer,” than others to work with and handle, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration states […]
Doctrine of Strict Liability
In 1965, the American Law Institute published the second edition of Restatement of the Law of Torts and set into motion a special rule on strict liability, which states in Section 402A “One who sells any product in a defective condition unreasonably dangerous to the user or consumer or to his property is subject to liability to […]
Asbestos Exposure Victims – the Bystander Effect
Asbestos Exposure Victims – the Bystander Effect With many of the asbestos manufacturers having gone bankrupt, many cases today rarely involve victims who were heavily exposed to asbestos (i.e., working with the product directly). Instead, studies have found that victims of asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis are a result of bystander […]
High Levels of Benzene Found in E-Cigarettes
High Levels of Benzene Found in E-Cigarettes An electronic cigarette or more commonly known as an “e-cigarette” is a device that vaporizes a flavored liquid typically made up of nicotine, glycerine, and propylene glycol. The fluid inside this pen-looking device is heated, creating vapor. Vapor is inhaled rather than smoke and many use the term […]
More Lawsuits Regarding Talcum Powder Expected for 2017
More Lawsuits Regarding Talcum Powder Expected for 2017 Over the past year, hundreds have sued the health giant Johnson & Johnson claiming their talc/baby powder product, after decades of use, is tied to ovarian cancer. Johnson & Johnson has lost millions of dollars in these trials and 2017 may come to reveal that more lawsuits […]
New EPA Proposal Requires Gas Plants to Publicly Report Toxic Emissions
New EPA Proposal Requires Gas Plants to Publicly Report Toxic Emissions The Environmental Protection Agency recently released a proposal concerning the documentation of toxic chemicals produced by natural gas drilling. Until now, natural gas processing plants did not need to publicly report toxic chemicals that are released into the environment, leaving nearby communities unaware of […]
Progress In The Fight To Ban Asbestos
Progress In The Fight To Ban Asbestos The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward in accordance with the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act and naming asbestos, as well as nine other chemicals the first that will come under review for new Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) legislation. In June 2016, President […]