Not every injury has an obvious cause. Sometimes, an illness or serious health condition develops after years of exposure to a chemical, contaminated water, workplace hazard, or dangerous product. You may not realize there is a connection until others who lived, worked, or used the same product begin experiencing similar health problems. That can make toxic exposure cases particularly difficult. The source of the exposure may not be obvious, the effects may not appear for years, and key evidence may come from environmental records, product information, medical research, or the experiences of other people who were exposed.
When multiple people suffer similar injuries from the same source, their claims may be part of a mass tort. These cases can involve complex scientific and legal issues, while still requiring careful attention to each person’s individual circumstances.
At The James Hawkins Firm, we help Washington residents investigate potential toxic exposure claims involving contaminated environments, dangerous products, workplace exposures, and other hazardous substances. We look at what happened, what evidence exists, and whether there may be a path to recovery through meaningful compensation.
A mass tort involves multiple people who may have suffered similar injuries or losses because of the same product, chemical, environmental contamination, or other conduct. Unlike a traditional lawsuit involving one person and one defendant, a mass tort may involve numerous claimants, multiple defendants, extensive scientific evidence, and litigation coordinated across different courts. A mass tort is also not necessarily the same as a class action. In many mass tort cases, each person’s claim remains individualized. Exposure history, medical conditions, diagnosis, treatment, and losses can all affect how an individual claim is evaluated and compensated. That means being part of a larger group does not make your circumstances any less important. Evidence of your exposure and the specific harm you experienced can be central to your claim.
A toxic exposure claim may arise when someone develops an injury or illness after exposure to a hazardous chemical, substance, product, or environmental contaminant. Exposure can occur through:
Some exposures happen once. Others occur repeatedly over months or years. The challenge in a toxic exposure case is often establishing the connection between the exposure and the resulting harm. Depending on the circumstances, that may require determining what substance was involved, how and when exposure occurred, the level or duration of exposure, the resulting medical condition, and whether scientific and medical evidence supports a connection.
PFAS (short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large family of human-made chemicals sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they can persist in the environment for long periods. PFAS have been identified in groundwater, drinking water, surface water, and soil in Washington, and state agencies continue to investigate and monitor contamination.
One important source of PFAS contamination has been AFFF, or aqueous film-forming foam, a firefighting foam historically used to suppress fuel fires and in firefighting training. Washington identifies firefighting foam as a suspected source of PFAS contamination found near some airports, military facilities, and fire-training areas.
Washington’s Department of Ecology currently identifies PFAS contamination in or around several areas, including:
Washington’s Department of Ecology has identified PFAS contamination in groundwater in these areas, although the nature and extent of contamination vary by location.
PFAS investigations can also extend beyond the boundaries of a military installation or other suspected source. For example, Ecology reports that PFAS from JBLM has affected nearby public water systems, including areas around DuPont, Lakewood, and Parkland.
If you live or previously lived near a military installation, airport, fire-training facility, landfill, wastewater facility, or another location associated with PFAS contamination, your exposure history may matter when evaluating a potential claim. Washington’s Department of Health specifically identifies proximity to several of these facilities as relevant to PFAS monitoring.
PFAS is one example of a potential mass exposure issue. Other toxic tort and product liability cases can involve different substances, products, and medical conditions. Some examples include:
Certain pesticides have been the subject of product liability and mass tort litigation. These cases can require a detailed review of the products used, where and when exposure occurred, how frequently the person was exposed, and the medical condition allegedly associated with that exposure. Paraquat, for example, has been the subject of litigation involving alleged links between exposure and Parkinson’s disease.
Asbestos exposure can occur through occupational, industrial, construction, military, or other environments. Because asbestos-related diseases can develop years or decades after exposure, identifying where and when exposure occurred can be an important part of investigating a claim.
Mass tort litigation can also arise when a pharmaceutical product, consumer product, industrial chemical, or other product allegedly causes similar injuries in large numbers of people. The specific legal requirements depend on the substance, product, injury, and circumstances involved. Our team can evaluate whether your situation fits within existing litigation or may support an individual claim.
Toxic exposure cases can involve more than one potentially responsible party. Depending on the circumstances, a claim may involve:
Identifying the responsible parties can require substantial investigation. Records may span decades and include employment records, environmental testing, product information, government records, medical records, property records, scientific studies, and corporate documents. In environmental cases, the source of contamination may not be obvious. A contaminated water supply, for example, can involve questions about where the substance originated, how it entered the groundwater, how it traveled, and which parties may have contributed to the contamination.
Toxic exposure cases often require more than establishing that a person was exposed to a chemical. A case may require evidence addressing several questions:
At The James Hawkins Firm, we help investigate these questions and build a clear picture of what happened. We can review available exposure records, medical documentation, environmental or workplace information, and other evidence that may help establish the source and extent of the exposure. When the case requires specialized knowledge, we can also work with qualified medical, scientific, environmental, and other experts to evaluate the evidence and help establish the connection between the exposure and your injuries. Our role is to take on the investigation and legal work so you can focus on your health and family.
Being part of a mass tort does not mean becoming just another name on a list of claimants. Every person has a different history. You may have lived near a contaminated area for decades. You may have worked around a particular chemical. You may have used a product regularly without knowing what it contained. Or you may have developed a serious medical condition years after an exposure that you never realized was significant. Understanding those details can be important to evaluating a claim.
Mass claims also involve complex systems designed to manage large numbers of people. As an attorney at The James Hawkins Firm has written for the Harvard Law & Policy Review, these systems must balance consistency and efficiency with the need to give individuals an opportunity to be heard and have their circumstances meaningfully considered. We believe those principles matter when representing individuals in complex litigation. Your claim should be evaluated as more than a diagnosis or a case number.
The damages available in a toxic exposure or mass tort case depend on the claim and the losses involved. Depending on the circumstances, compensation may address:
Pursuing compensation is not simply about assigning a number to an illness. It is to seek financial recovery for the consequences of an exposure and the losses it has caused.
Toxic exposure cases can involve complicated statutes of limitation, particularly when an illness develops long after the underlying exposure. Washington’s product liability statute generally provides that a claim under Chapter 7.72 RCW must be brought within three years from the time the claimant discovered, or through reasonable diligence should have discovered, the harm and its cause, subject to applicable tolling provisions. Different deadlines may govern other claims. Because the applicable deadline can depend on the substance, product, injury, and circumstances of your exposure, you should not assume that you have unlimited time to investigate your options. If you believe you may have been exposed to a toxic substance or dangerous product, it is worth having your situation reviewed as soon as possible.
Toxic exposure cases often begin with unanswered questions. You may have developed a serious illness without knowing the cause. You may have lived or worked near a contaminated site, used a particular product, or been exposed to a chemical years ago. You may also wonder whether other people were exposed to the same substance. You do not need to identify the source of the exposure or establish the medical connection on your own. Our team at the James Hawkins Firm can investigate the circumstances surrounding your exposure, including where and when it occurred, what substance or product may have been involved, and whether evidence connects that exposure to your illness. We can also determine whether your circumstances may relate to existing mass tort litigation or warrant an individual claim.
If you believe contaminated water, a dangerous product, workplace exposure, pesticides, PFAS, AFFF, or another hazardous substance has affected your health, contact The James Hawkins Firm to discuss your circumstances. We will investigate what happened and determine what legal options may be available.
Call Us Today (949) 387 – 7200
Yeah they’re great 
Nice people and they found things apart from wrongful termination
