A mass tort is a civil action involving numerous plaintiffs against one or a few corporate defendants. The tort may involve, for example, personal injuries suffered by numerous plaintiffs as a result of a defective product, or a mass disaster in which there were many injured persons, such as an airplane crash, or exposure of a large group of people to toxic chemicals or pharmaceuticals.
Waldron, or Waldron Island, is an unincorporated town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. Although Waldron is not specifically tracked by the Census, the ZIP code is 98297, and this ZIP code is coextensive with Waldron Island. Neither Waldron nor Waldron Island can be considered an official name; locally, they are used interchangeably, although the post office name is Waldron. The population was 104 at the 2000 census. Despite its location in the generally well-to-do San Juan Islands, Waldron has no connections with the tourist industry and is notable for ranking among the poorest and most impoverished areas in the state of Washington. Due to the low cost of living, however, this may be seen as an inaccurate reflection of the actual quality of life.