As children excitedly await their presents from Santa, this Christmas season brings a controversy none at the North Pole could ever anticipate: playthings and other consumer products that contain asbestos.
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an organization that advocates for asbestos victims, recently released the results of an independent study. Findings indicate that despite the known dangers of asbestos, many home and garden items are produced with the carcinogen. Among them are several children’s toys, including the “CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit,” manufactured in China for Planet Toys of New York.
“In the past few months, it seems that we are reading almost daily reports of toys being recalled because of toxins or other safety concerns,” said Benjamin Darche, an attorney in Weitz & Luxenberg’s Asbestos Litigation unit. “As a parent, I’m deeply disturbed that despite the quantifiable findings of the laboratories that conducted the studies for the ADAO, the CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit remains available for sale by both Internet retailers and national megachain stores,” Darche added.
Weitz & Luxenberg is known for its preeminent role in the prosecution of asbestos cases. In 2007, the firm won a $37 million asbestos verdict in two lung cancer cases in a reverse bifurcated trial. The firm also secured a $25 million jury verdict in 2006 in a trial against DaimlerChrysler AG for a New York City brake reliner who lost his right lung to mesothelioma. In 2002, the firm won a $53 million verdict for a brake mechanic suffering from mesothelioma, and a $49 million verdict for a boilermaker who died from mesothelioma.
It is well-proven that even a single exposure to asbestos can have debilitating health effects. Combine that exposure with the decades-long latency period for the development of serious diseases, the children playing with this kit may ultimately face mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis as adults.
Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. offers free case reviews from www.weitzlux.com.
People who have been harmed by asbestos may contact Weitz & Luxenberg by visiting the firm’s website at www.weitzlux.com.
About Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.
Weitz & Luxenberg, founded in 1986, is one of the leading plaintiffs’ law firms in America. The firm has also played leading roles in national and local litigations involving asbestos, DES, silicone breast implants, medical malpractice, and general negligence, among others. A forerunner in the legal fight against environmental polluters, Weitz & Luxenberg has worked with clients harmed by MTBE and mercury, among other toxins. The firm has won numerous cases involving dangerous pharmaceuticals, including Vioxx, achieving a $13.5 million verdict against Merck & Co. The firm’s other active pharmaceutical litigations include actions against the manufacturers of Bextra, ReNu, Celebrex and Ortho Evra.