Old Mission Point is an unincorporated community within Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. In the 1836 Treaty of Washington, the U.S. federal government agreed to provide local native tribes with both a mission and schools for their reservation. Henry Schoolcraft, the Indian agent representing the government, selected a natural harbor on the eastern shore of the peninsula in Grand Traverse Bay for the planned facilities. In 1838 the Presbyterian Board of Missions, sent the Reverend Peter Dougherty (1805-1894) to establish the mission, now known as Old Mission, for which the peninsula would eventually become known. The peninsula has extensive cherry orchards and vineyards. There are seven vineyards, but only five have tasting rooms. Because of the remoteness of the peninsula, wine tours take some planning. It is an American Viticultural Area and a center of the Michigan wine industry. See Old Mission Peninsula AVA. The Old Mission Point Lighthouse is located at the northern terminus of M-37, at the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula, which juts 18 miles into Grand Traverse Bay. It is located at 44°59′7″N 85°28′24″W / 44.98528°N 85.47333°W / 44.98528; -85.47333, just south of the 45th parallel north, midway between the North Pole and the Equator. There are two signs that denote the location on the 45th parallel. It is one of 26 places in the U.S.A. where such signs are known to exist.

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 Michigan

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...