Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2008 census estimate, the city had a total population of 67,831 making it the fifth-largest city in Iowa. It is the county seat of Johnson County and the home of the University of Iowa. It is located adjacent to Coralville and surrounds University Heights, with which it forms a contiguous urban area. It is the principal city of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses Johnson and Washington counties and has a population of 149,437. Iowa City was the second capital of the Iowa Territory and the first capital of the State of Iowa. The Old Capitol building is a National Historic Landmark and stands as a tourist attraction in the center of the University of Iowa campus as well as being an integral part of the university's Pentacrest. The University of Iowa Art Museum and Plum Grove, home of the first governor of Iowa, are other tourist attractions. In 2008, Forbes Magazine named Iowa City the second Best Small Metropolitan Area for doing business in the United States.

What is toxic tort law?

Toxic Tort cases involve people who have been injured through exposure to dangerous pharmaceuticals or chemical substances in the environment, on the job, or in consumer products -- including carcinogenic agents, lead, benzene, silica, harmful solvents, hazardous waste, and pesticides to name a few.

Most toxic tort cases have arisen either from exposure to pharmaceutical drugs or occupational exposures. Most pharmaceutical toxic injury cases are mass tort cases, because drugs are consumed by thousands of people, many of whom become ill from a toxic drug. There have also been many occupational toxic tort cases, because industrial and other workers are often chronically exposed to toxic chemicals - more so than consumers and residents. Most of the law in this area arises from asbestos exposure, but thousands of toxic chemicals are used in industry and workers in these areas can experience a variety of toxic injuries. Unlike the general population, which is exposed to trace amounts of thousands of different chemicals in the environment, industrial workers are regularly exposed to much higher levels of chemicals and therefore have a greater risk of developing disease from particular chemical exposures than the general population. The home has recently become the subject of toxic tort litigation, mostly due to mold contamination, but also due to construction materials such as formaldehyde-treated wood and carpet. Toxic tort cases also arise when people are exposed to consumer products such as pesticides and suffer injury. Lastly, people can also be injured from environmental toxins in the air or in drinking water.

Answers to toxic tort law issues in Iowa

In certain kinds of cases, lawyers charge what is called a contingency fee. Instead of billing by the hour, the...

Because of the health problems caused by lead poisoning, the federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction...

Property owners may be liable for tenant health problems caused by exposure to environmental hazards, such as...

In general, mass tort cases involve a large number of individual claimants with claims associated with a single...