Ronkonkoma (pronounced ron-KONK-uh-muh) is a census-designated place (CDP) and hamlet in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 20,029 at the 2000 census. The Ronkonkoma post office has the ZIP code of 11779, and serves parts of several hamlets and CDPs adjacent to Ronkonkoma also. Since 1988, Ronkonkoma has been the end of electrification along the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line, leading most service along the line to be referred to as Ronkonkoma Branch service. Ronkonkoma is also home to the Town of Islip owned and operated Long Island MacArthur Airport (sometimes referred to only as Islip), airport code ISP. The New York Air Route Traffic Control Center is located in Ronkonkoma, as is CVD Equipment Corporation, a nanotechnology and high-technology engineering company that is doing research on carbon nanotubes in cooperation with the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.

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 New York

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...