Oriental is a town in Pamlico County, North Carolina, USA. The population was 875 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Bern, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area. Oriental is the largest city in the county, and home to most of its motels, bed-and-breakfasts, restaurants, marinas, boat brokerages, the newspaper, several sport fishing charters, and the county's cultural center. Oriental, an incorporated municipality, is in Eastern North Carolina's Inner Banks region where Smith, Pierce, Raccoon, Greens, Camp, Kershaw, and Whittaker creeks enter the 5-mile wide mouth of the Neuse River where it becomes the Pamlico Sound. The municipal water system draws from the huge Castle-Haynes aquifer; the town has not been adversely impacted by the severe drought of 2007-8 that affected most of the state. The area was settled by American Indians, who fished and farmed in the creeks and river long before Europeans settled the area. Pamlico County has a rich Indian history told in the many artifacts found in the region. Today, fewer than 1 percent of the town's residents are Native American. Land records date grants from the King of England to colonial farmers and many residents can trace their family’s genealogy to these times. The area was the haunt of pirates in the early days of European dominance. The famous pirate Edward Teach or Blackbeard made his home in Bath to the North of Oriental. The Midgettes (also Midyettes) and other old families that still have descendants in the town came much later, in the late 1800s. From the early 1900s Oriental's economy was supported by lumber, fishing and farming. Train service stopped in the 1950s. The last sawmill closed just about the time that sailors began to discover the village - in the early 1960s. Just 4 sailboats called Oriental home in 1960 - today the number has grown to more than 2,000. Oriental is now known as the "Sailing Capital Of North Carolina". Tourism, real estate, agriculture and marine related businesses lead the local economy. The town is the site of several new condominiums and other developments. Oriental is home to several new upscale real estate developments, including River Dunes (home to the 2007 Coastal Living Idea House) and Whittaker Harbor. A portion of its homes are unoccupied during the week, belonging to second-home owners from Raleigh, Cary, Charlotte or other urban areas of North Carolina. Fishing trawlers still grace the small harbor, bringing in a catch of shrimp, crab or perhaps flounder depending on the season. Many boats based in Oriental fish as far south as Florida. The United States Post Office Department established a post office in 1886. Lou Midyette was named postmaster of what was then known as Smith’s Creek. Lou's wife, Rebecca, disregarding the town's history, renamed the community "Oriental" after a nameplate from a sunken ship that washed up on a local beach. Oriental was incorporated in 1899. The Oriental History Museum offers enlightening displays of Oriental's early years. The Museum and the Oriental Tourism Board have combined to develop a 1.2 mile historical walking tour covering 37 sites. Two local festivals attract visitors from far and wide:the Spirit of Christmas, always held in early December. The Spirit of Christmas consists of local businesses holding open houses with hot cider and treats, while the local churches hold Nativity plays and host Christmas music concerts. There is also a boat parade in the harbor, where locals decorate their yachts with Christmas lights; the Croaker Festival, an arts and vendor event (benefiting the county's nonprofits), is the second large town festival and culminates in a fireworks display held during the first weekend each July. In addition, the Oriental Rotary Club sponsors an annual catch-and-release tarpon fishing tournament the last weekend in July (2008 was the 16th year) and, on New Year's Eve, the Oriental dragon makes a run through town twice (at 8 p.m. for the young 'uns, and at midnight for the adults). The Oriental Cup Regatta is held the last Saturday in June, and there are boat races most Saturdays from May through September, and very informal ones most Wednesdays, too. Oriental hosts a Celebration of the Arts festival in mid-September, and has other art festivals throughout the year. The Town sponsors free evening concerts once each summer month which have been well attending by county residents and visitors from neighboring Craven and Carteret counties.

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 North Carolina

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...