Environmental

Recent Posts

In a case alleging that a community was exposed to airborne vinyl chloride, the Third Circuit affirmed that a class action was inappropriate since individual issues predominated
Posted on 16 Sep 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

In Gates v. Rohm & Haas Co. et al , 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 17756 (3rd. Cir.: 8/25/11), Plaintiffs were residents of a primarily residential area of approximately 2,000 people and 400 homes. Defendant chemical companies owned and operated a facility... Read More

New Report Links Fracking to Potential Health Issues
Posted on 26 Mar 2012 by Steven M. Siros

By Steven M. Siros, Partner, Jenner & Block A recent study by the Colorado School of Public Health has linked hydraulic fracturing to elevated levels of petroleum hydrocarbons in the air near drilling sites. The study, to be published in Science... Read More

California Proposes Enhanced Prop. 65 Warnings and Possible Online Disclosures - Dietary Supplements and Foods Specially Targeted
Posted on 29 Apr 2014 by GreenbergTraurig

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has announced that it is considering implementation of the most significant changes to Prop. 65 regulations in more than two decades. OEHHA has posted the draft regulation and Initial... Read More

9-11 firefighters show increased cancer risk, notes new study
Posted on 9 Sep 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Prior posts have addressed the various studies that have been published regarding the impact of exposure to the toxic dust and smoke that was generated by the 9-11 disaster. Researchers have now identified that male firefighters who were exposed to the... Read More

EPA may be preparing tough report on dioxins in food
Posted on 10 Feb 2012 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Dioxins collectively refers to hundreds of chemical compounds that share certain structures and biological characteristics. See Dioxin . Dioxins fall into three closely related groups: the chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (CDD's) chlorinated dibenzofurans... Read More

Organic Does Not Mean Healthy: Organic Brown Rice Syrup has Arsenic and is Widely Used as a Sweetener
Posted on 4 Mar 2012 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Consumers are attracted to organic products because they are perceived to be healthier than conventional food sources. To borrow a phrase from Porgy & Bess (as I have done in the past), it ain't necessarily so. [See http://www.youtube.com/watch... Read More

Some cancers associated with drinking to "excess" (a pint of beer a day)
Posted on 5 Oct 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

As noted repeatedly in prior posts, toxic torts require proof of causation. As such, an assessment of alternative explanations for the disease or illness at issue becomes important. The consumption of alcohol (usually in excess of some amount) has been... Read More

New Chemicals Proposed for Addition to California’s Proposition 65 List
Posted on 1 Feb 2012 by Jenner & Block Corporate Environmental Lawyer

By Katherine M. Rahill, Partner, Jenner & Block In December and January, the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment ("OEHHA") announced its intent to add seven new chemicals... Read More

DNA Predicts Only a Few Disorders
Posted on 13 May 2012 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Prior posts have noted that gene functioning can be modified by a number of processes, such as methylation. Recently animal tests have found that some of these modifications are passed on to off-spring even though no change is made to the gene itself... Read More

EPA Releases Final Health Assessment for Tetrachloroethylene (aka Perc)
Posted on 15 Feb 2012 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

EPA has posted its final health assessment for tetrachloroethylene (aka perc) to its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Perc is widely used in the dry cleaning industry, although states such as California are requiring that it be phased out... Read More

Formaldehyde is found in a broad range of clothing and household products
Posted on 8 Feb 2012 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Formaldehyde is a Group 1 human carcinogen. Search at Toxnet Toxicology Data Network . In the past, exposure to the populace was often linked to its presence in glues and binders used in furniture and paneling, although it is also found in shampoo, conditioners... Read More

Stress May Increase Inflammation and the Diseases Associated Therewith
Posted on 28 May 2012 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

Prior posts have noted that for toxic torts causation is the central focus, and that it is very difficult to prove. Prior posts have also noted that the makeup of the bacteria in one's GI tract can have a major influence on generating inflammation;... Read More

California's OEHHA Adds New Chemical to Proposition 65 List, Setting up Product Manufacturers/Distributors as Targets to Eager Plaintiffs' Bar
Posted on 4 Mar 2014 by GreenbergTraurig

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) announced that it will add diisononyl phthalate (DINP) to the list of chemicals known to the State to cause cancer for purposes of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act... Read More

When vanity is dangerous -- skin-lightening creams and mercury exposure
Posted on 1 Jun 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

It has always amazed me the extent to which individuals are not satisfied with their physical appearance; this dissatisfaction is the foundation of much cosmetic surgery. However, it also has dangerous implications. After decades of warnings, individuals... Read More

Some cancers associated with drinking to "excess" (a pint of beer a day)
Posted on 5 Oct 2011 by Thomas H. Clarke, Jr.

As noted repeatedly in prior posts, toxic torts require proof of causation. As such, an assessment of alternative explanations for the disease or illness at issue becomes important. The consumption of alcohol (usually in excess of some amount) has... Read More