Jacksonville Personal Injury Lawyer - Toxic Substances

Erin Brockovich Focuses On Florida Cancer Cluster Case

Eddie Farah — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:28:00 GMT

Environmental crusader, Erin Brockovich is coming to Florida to speak to residents and health officials and to host a Town Hall meeting Thursday night to talk about the cancer cluster at the South Florida community known as The Acreage.

Brockovich was played by actress, Julia Roberts in a film with the same name about Brockovich’s efforts in uncovering toxic water pollution in California.

These days she has formed a company that investigates corporate wrongdoers and advocates for the truth.

She and a New York City law firm are investigating environmental links to brain cancer cases at The Acreage neighborhood in Palm Beach County and will offer residents options for legal action tonight.

The cause of the suspected cancer cluster remains a mystery.

The state health department began an investigation in May into the suspected cluster or unusually high number of children and adults with brain tumors or brain cancer. A second phase of that investigation is underway by the state which has found elevated levels of radiation at ten homes that also have brain tumors or cancer.

The state DEP has also found four private wells with drinking water that didn’t meet state standards for safety because of elevated levels of radium, a measure of radiation.

Some residents have blamed heavy pesticide use on orange groves. Pratt & Whitney, the rocket and jet engine company worked nearby on Beeline Highway and is responsible for leaks and spills on its 7,000 acres dating back 30 years. In the 1980s the company has its own on-site cancer scare.

The company is cleaning up petroleum in groundwater, various metals and volatile organic compounds as well as a chemical solvent the company used which is a likely human carcinogen called 1,4-dioxane, jet fuel, and PCBs.

The parents of Garrett Dunsford soon realized they were not alone when their six-year-old was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Among the community of 50,000 they found others and have rallied them to come forward creating a web site and keeping track of cancer cases in their community. They believe at least 70 families have suffered from brain cancer or tumors.

To see a map of the affected area, click here.

Full disclosure, accountability and a high profile presence might persuade the state to speed up its research and give residents some answers that they desperately need

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Smoker Wins First Phase In Tobacco Trial

Eddie Farah — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:53:00 GMT

For those of us who have fought Big Tobacco for a long time, this was a much welcomed victory.

On Thursday, a jury in Florida ruled that a smoker was addicted to cigarettes and that is what led to his death. It was a huge setback for Philip Morris and could forecast the future for thousands of cases in Florida waiting to go to trial.

After the Engle class-action lawsuit was thrown out in 2006, all of the plaintiffs were told they would have to try their cases individually. This was the first of those cases. In this case, the jury found in favor of Elaine Hess, the widow of Stuart Hess. Stuart was unable to quit smoking and after 40 years he died of lung cancer. He was 55.

There are about 8,000 cases filed by law firms across the state, Farah and Farah among them. This first phase was to decide whether Hess’ death was caused by his addiction to cigarettes. Philip Morris had argued Hess could have quit if he wanted. His widow proved that Stuart Hess could not quit, even to save his life. The next phase will be compensatory damages.

When the Engle class-action was thrown out, along with the $145 billion, the Florida Supreme Court allowed to stand key findings that tobacco firms sold dangerous products then concealed the risk to smokers. That means individuals will not have to prove that again.

As you might expect Big Tobacco vows, "The Hess trial is not over," Philip Morris USA, a unit of Altria Group, said in a statement.

They’re right, the next phase should start Friday and it will be interesting to see what percentage the jury will decide was the smokers own fault or the liability of the tobacco company. Stay Tuned. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

North Florida Resident Puts State On Salmonella Map

Eddie Farah — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:10:34 GMT

It was always amazing that Florida was one of seven states that had dodged the bullet on the salmonella outbreak in the country - until now.

A North Florida resident has shown signs of salmonella poisoning, according to the Florida Department of Health report on Wednesday. Florida is now the 44^th state to report residents who have been sickened with the same type of salmonella that came from the Blakely, Georgia peanut processing plant. Salmonella Typhimuirium has sickened more than 550 and killed eight.

This time a resident of Bradford County was temporarily hospitalized. The city of Starke is the center of the county. No other information has been released, including what type of peanut product the person consumed, but he/she had the same DNA match of salmonella Typhimuirium.

This appears to be an isolated incident, according to a spokesperson, but that is difficult to know with any certainty. Unless one goes to the doctor and has a test for bacterial contamination there is not a confirmed diagnosis.

That’s why it’s suspected that every case that gets reported, there are another three dozen or so that are not. The Department of Health spokeswoman, Susan Smith, is asking anyone who has symptoms of salmonella poisoning to have it positively diagnosed with their primary care physician.

Just a reminder- severe cramps, fever, stomach ache, vomiting - may be symptoms of salmonella poisoning which should subside within a week. Before you eat anything with peanuts in it - be sure to check if the food is included in a nationwide recall.

The FDA Web site has all of the latest. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Florida Needs To Watch for Salmonella Cases

Eddie Farah — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:53:00 GMT

42 states have been stuck by a salmonella outbreak and the King Nut Company believes it may be responsible.

King Nut out of Ohio, has issued a recall of the peanut butter it distributes nationwide. So far 399 people have been affected, people of all ages.

King Nut says salmonella has been found in five pound tubs of peanut butter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking out other possible sources of the nationwide contamination. California has the most cases at 55 so far.

Florida has reported no cases so far and is just one of eight states that has dodged the outbreak. The other states that do not report cases are Montana, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Alaska and Hawaii.

One death is reported in Minnesota from salmonella poisoning. The company has issued an apology and says it’s taking immediate and voluntary action.

King Nut is not the actual manufacturer of the peanut butter in question. It was made by Peanut Corporation of America, located in Lynchburg, Virginia. It processes the peanut butter in plants in Virginia, Georgia and Texas.

This is the kind of peanut butter that is sold in large quantities to schools and nursing homes. Unfortunately it is the immune compromised who might be most impacted and they are often very young or very old.

This is worth keeping an eye on for all Floridians because King Nut Peanut Butter is distributed to the state. Also look for the name, Parnell’s Pride. By Monday any organization that serves peanut butter is advised to check the jars and identify the manufacturer. We hope Florida continues dodging the bullet, but if not, please feel free to consult with one of our personal injury attorneys about protecting your rights.

Salmonella is a bacterium that comes from feces and is consumed through contaminated foods, in this case through contaminated peanuts. This type of salmonella is called Typhirurium.

This case is reminiscent of the ConAgra’s recall of salmonella tainted Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter in 2006-2007, which was eventually found in a plant in Georgia. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Cleaning Up A Jacksonville Environmental Hazard

Eddie Farah — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 02:03:11 GMT

From the 1890s until 1978, the old Kerr-McGee property in Jacksonville was home to a fertilizer and chemical plant. Now the site encorporates the polluted Talleyrand waterfront area. The land is vacant, and a bulkhead is built over contaminated sediments at the bottom of the St. Johns River that runs through our city.

How to clean up the site has been a headache but now the area may see state money for cleanup and community projects. Under the plan, the site owner, Tronox Inc. would purchase the river bottom as part of a cleanup of the river and the shore.

In return, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection wants most of the proceeds to return to neighborhood projects. The cost of the river bottom is still undetermined but could run into a six-figure amount.

"It's an environmental justice issue, when you look at it," Jim Maher, a longtime agency administrator now in the submerged lands office, told Eastside neighborhood groups and the Florida Times Union during a meeting this week.

Tronox would then cover the cost of a cleanup at about $18.6 million to dig a trench and fill it with a type of cement to keep pollutants in ground water from seeping out. Another plan would haul polluted soil away, but the cost goes up to $22 million.

Neighborhood groups plan to visit Tallahassee next month to rally for this unusual win-win for the city which could result in park improvements or developing more green space. As it stands now, no one can live in the area of the site which has been found to contain benzene, DDT, arsenic, lead and other pollutants.

The hope is that one day the property could be used for new industrial use that might include the nearby Port Authority.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Florida Man Drinks 20 Vodka Shots And Dies

Eddie Farah — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:35:04 GMT

Sometimes stories in Florida sound like they come out of a Carl Hiassen novel, complete with a tragic ending.

A 26-year old man is dead after entering a vodka drinking contest in a Seffner, Florida bar. Eric Morris was going shot-to-shot with another patron at the Angels Nightclub. Finally the other guy quit, but Morris kept going and the bartender kept serving.

Witnesses estimate he drank 23 to 25 shots of vodka within 30 minutes. The bartender finally cut him off. Morris reportedly pounded the bar and got up to leave, fell over, and never got up. He was rushed to Brandon Regional Medical Center but was pronounced dead.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office in Tampa is investigating this death pending a cause of death. They need a toxicology report before any conclusions are reached.

Where is the law on this? In Florida, bars can serve patrons as long as the patron wants to drink, and pay. Even if it is 25 shots. But there are guidelines in place through the sheriff’s office and classes are available, to train bartenders how to safely serve and when to quit. After an incident like this, it is certainly time to revisit those "guidelines".

Florida’s Office of Injury Prevention reports that unintentional injury as the third leading cause of death for all Floridians. An intentional act like this one is tough to understand. Nonetheless, our sympathies to the families involved. #

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah

Tomato Salmonella Scare Hits Florida Hard

Eddie Farah — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:51:00 GMT

Just take a look at the FDA's list of states from which you can safely buy tomatoes not tainted with salmonella Saintpaul. At last look, Florida was the only state broken up by counties.

The FDA is concentrating its investigation on Mexico and Florida, specifically south and central Florida, which was the source of the last few salmonella outbreaks, and which was in the middle of harvesting when the salmonella cases began being reported in mid-April.

Let's hope they conclude this thing quickly.

Florida tomato growers are feeling the pinch. In Mulberry, Florida, East Coast Brokers & Packers have hundreds of boxes of tomatoes just being help in a warehouse. The industry will cost the state hundreds of millions in revenue.

This weekend, FDA inspectors are heading to Florida farms looking for the source of the rare Saintpaul strain of salmonella in tainted tomatoes. A farm or a particular packing house could be the source of the bacteria, that originates in feces. A packing house is where many tomatoes from various farms come in and the contamination could be spread.

We are now in the nation’s largest salmonella outbreak from tomatoes, having sickened 552 people in 32 states. Consumers should be aware that salmonella sickness includes nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea. The elderly and very young, anyone immune compromised can become serious ill. If it gets into the blood stream, salmonella can be fatal.

Keep checking the FDA Web site to make sure your area of Florida is cleared.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Eddie Farah