Robertsdale is an unincorporated community in Wood Township in southern Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated on Broad Top Mountain near the eastern slope. It was founded in 1872 as part of the construction of the East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company as the original terminus and mining location. The town was created by the EBT's parent company, the Rockhill Iron and Coal Company, which operated most of the mines on the east side of the the Broad Top Coal field. The initial focus of mining was the Houk Mine (renamed Rockhill Iron and Coal Mine #1) which predated the town, though as a much smaller producer. Later RI&C #5 became a large producer. Mines #2, #3 and #4 were in Robertsdale but were not large producers and operated only briefly. Later the EBT was extended to Woodvale, Alvan and new Alvan as the focus of mining moved along the coal seams, though Robertsdale remained the mining headquarters. Robertsdale was a typical coal ming town complete with company owned miner houses, a company store, a company owned water and power system and other company owned facilities. Coal mining and its support industries were the principal employers. As coal demand declined after WWII, the deep mines began to close in favor or more economical strip mining. The last of the deep coal mines closed in the early 1950's. As the demand continued to slack, RI&C shut down in 1956 along with the EBT and both were sold to the Kovalchick Salvage Company of Indiana, Pennsylvania. Limited deep mining resumed under contractors and contract surface mining continued into the 1990s. Limited surface mining resumed in the late-2000's. Although the EBT ceased operations in 1956, the track and structures are is still in place through Robertsdale. The Station building is currently the museum for Friends of the East Broad Top, who also own the Rockhill Iron and Coal Company post office building. The Reality theater which was built in 1948 just as the slide in coal demand started, and the former United Methodist Church are now owned by the Broad Top Coal Miners Historical Society as their Broad Top Coal Miners Museum and Entertainment Center. In the wake of the RI&C sale and the end of large scale mining, most miner homes were sold off the their occupants. The EBT continued to operate and maintain the ancient water system until it was replaced by a new municipal system in the 1990's.

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 Pennsylvania

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...