If you or a loved one have suffered a serious injury from lead poisoning, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering, among other losses. Our law firm is currently working with experienced lead poisoning lawyers, who are filing lawsuits and they charge no fee until you receive a settlement or award. Call our toll-free number or contact us online for a free (no obligation) case evaluation.
Are You or Your Child Suffering from Side Effects
Due to Lead Poisoning?
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Who Is Most Effected By Lead Poisoning?
Children, especially toddlers, are highly vulnerable to lead poisoning. Lead significantly interferes with the development of the brain, which can cause serious side effects in an infant. These mental side effects can cause permanent impairments and disabilities including:
- Impaired Attention/Concentration (ADD/ADHD)
- Lack Of Motor Skills
- Communication Problems
- Hearing Loss
- Lower IQ
- Memory Problems
Lead poisoning is also especially dangerous to pregnant women because it negatively affects the mother and the developing fetus. High exposure can cause premature births, low birth weights, miscarriages, and stillbirths. Newborns that were exposed to this metal while in the womb can also experience lifelong mental impairments and disabilities.
What Does A Lead Poisoning Settlement Pay For?
A lead poisoning lawsuit or settlement will pay you for many types of losses that you have incurred, including medical bills, loss of past and future income, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, loss of enjoyment of life, and others. These types of compensation can sometimes range into the hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars if the case is placed in front of a jury. This causes landlords and their insurance companies to want to settle cases quickly.
There are other types of compensation for adults, who have suffered from an acute or chronic form of lead poisoning. These types of compensation for lead poisoning injuries are workers’ compensation, if the injury occurred due to work related activity, and Social Security Disability, if you have become unable to work for at least one year.
Who Are Lead Poisoning Cases Typically Brought Against?
The most common form of compensation for lead poisoning comes from filing a claim or possibly a lawsuit against the landlord of a building that contained lead paint. Landlords are required by law to inform their tenants if lead paint is present in the house. They may also be required to take steps to “abate” the property, which means remove or properly treat the lead paint so that it is not dangerous anymore. If the landlord failed to do these things, you may be able to file a claim or lawsuit against them.
You may also have another case against a general contractor or sub-contractor if they improperly abated the property. In the case of a defective product, you may be able to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer, or even the retailer of the product.
What Is Lead Poisoning?
Lead poisoning is a medical condition where lead (a metal) becomes highly concentrated in the body. Acute lead poisoning means that a person was exposed to a high concentration of the metal in a short period of time. Chronic lead poisoning means that a person was exposed to low concentrations of the metal over a long period of time. Lead can interfere with the normal function of the body and is very toxic to the bones, heart, kidneys, and nervous system, especially the brain.
Exposure to lead is particularly dangerous among children. It can stunt their development and cause permanent learning disabilities and other mental deficiencies. The concentration of exposure combined with the time of exposure determines the severity of a given case of poisoning.
Long Term Exposure to Lead Can Cause Serious Side Effects
in Small Children.
What Are Symptoms of Lead Poisoning?
Signs and symptoms of lead poisoning range from mild to severe. Mild side effects of exposure include fatigue, numbness, muscle pain, and abdominal pain. Lead toxicity may also cause moderate symptoms like headache, weight loss, tremors, and intense, widespread pain. In extreme cases, people suffer side effects like lead lines (damage to the bone and cartilage), nerve damage, encephalopathy (brain damage), seizures, coma, and even death.
How Do You Get Lead Poisoning?
The most common way of getting lead poisoning is by breathing in or accidentally ingesting lead. Lead paint chips, which fall to the floor in older homes, are often accidentally eaten by young children, who have a tendency to put objects in their mouths. Dust from lead paint can also float in the air and be breathed in, in addition to becoming stuck to clothing and objects, which increases the likelihood that it will accidentally be ingested.
Where Is Lead Paint Found?
Lead paint was widely used in houses up until it was banned. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) officially banned the product in 1978, but it did not eliminate the risk of lead poisoning because many homes still contained lead based paint. If you currently live in an old home, then you may be exposed to this toxic metal.
People are commonly exposed to lead paint in old homes because of dust. Old paint deteriorates over times and floats in the air as dust. Also, renovating old homes can cause large amounts of dust to be created. People who are working on their houses should always use the best safety equipment and follow best practices. Finally, old paints chips are pose a serious risk to children, especially infants. In some cases, infants may be poisoned after picking up and eating paint chips.
Where Else Is Lead Found?
- Drinking water. For many years, pipes, fixtures, and soldering had high concentrations of lead. Today even supposedly “lead-free” plumbing materials may contain up to 8% of this metal. These plumbing materials become a problem when they begin to corrode, meaning the metal wears away causing lead particles to be released into the water.
- Products manufactured outside the U.S. Foreign products can also pose a danger if they do not conform to U.S. federal standards. Children’s toys pose a particular risk because they are subject to wear and tear. Children also suck and chew on their toys. In the past there have been recalls for the following children’s toys due to high lead content:
- Build-A-Bear Accessories – In August 2011, over 28,000 Build-A-Bear lapel pins were recalled throughout the United States and Canada.
- Oriental Trading Company Ceramic Banks – In December 2010, up to 220,000 Oriental Trading Company ceramic banks were recalled by the CPSC.
- Playmates Toy Jewelry Sets – In February 2010, approximately 252,000 toy jewelry sets were recalled by Playmates Toys.
- Disney Store Tinker Bell Wands – In May 2008, a retail location of the Disney Store recalled 8,000 Tinker Bell Wands.
- Hobby Lobby Easter Egg Containers – In March 2008, up to 13,000 Easter Egg Containers were recalled by Hobby Lobby.
- Gun products. Lead is also a common component of many gun products. For example, handling and discharging rounds of ammo can create lead dust. Frequenting a gun range may increase a person’s risk of suffering injuries. Recently, 24 construction workers suffered poisoning symptoms after performing work at a gun range. The lead dust from the range was carried homes on their clothes, exposing their spouses and children to unsafe levels.
- Exposure to lead in the workplace. One of the most common places that people are exposed to lead is in the workplace. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, more than 3 million workers in the United States may be exposed to lead at their jobsites. Workers in the construction and manufacturing industries are particularly at risk. Examples of at-risk industries include:
- Battery Manufacturing
- Construction
- Demolition
- Jewelers
- Pipe Fitters
- Printers
- Welders
- Other Industries
Why Call Us?
If you or a loved one have suffered injuries due to lead poisoning, you should talk to an experienced lead poisoning lawyer, who can advise you of your legal rights. You may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost income and pain and suffering, among other losses. Our law firm is working with lead poisoning lawyers, who can file a lawsuit on your behalf and charge no legal fees until you obtain a settlement or award. For a free (no obligation) case evaluation, call our toll free number or fill out a contact form on our website.