Calais is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. The city has three United States border crossings or also known as a Port of entry (POE) with the busiest being on the St. Croix River bordering St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. Calais has historically been a city of commerce and is recognized as the primary shopping center of eastern Washington County and Charlotte County, New Brunswick, Canada. Currently retail, service, and construction businesses are the primary components of the Calais economy. The population was 3,447 at the 2000 census. The local pronunciation of Calais rhymes with palace. listen . Calais, was named for the French city of the same spelling (but decidedly different pronunciation), because it is located across the Saint Croix River from Dover Hill in New Brunswick, Canada. (Dover, England lies just across the English Channel from Calais, France. ) The first permanent European settlement here was in 1770, although in 1604, geographer Samuel de Champlain and Pierre Dugua, the Sieur de Mons, established a short-lived settlement 8 miles to the south of the downtown, on St. Croix Island in what is now the village of Red Beach. A former shipping community, Calais has many historic sites, including historic districts and museum -- the Dr. Job Holmes Cottage -- just south of the downtown on U.S. Route 1. Calais shares the border with St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, which is just across the St. Croix River. Three international bridges connect these two communities. Situated as it is, Calais is one of the busiest border crossings with Canada. The relationship between Calais and St. Stephen is so close that they celebrate with a multiple-day International Festival each year. There's a parade across the Ferry Point International Bridge, and the mayors of both communities shake hands across the border.

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 Maine

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...