Lancaster (lān-kŭs'tər) is a city in Lancaster County, South Carolina which is in the United States and is located 32 miles south of Charlotte North Carolina . As of the United States Census, 2007 census, the city population was 9,715. It is the county seat of Lancaster County. The city was named after the famous House of Lancaster . Lancaster County is number 147 in US micropolitan areas; with a 2008 population estimate of 73,393 in the micropolitan area. It is the boyhood home of the 7th president of the United States, Andrew Jackson. Locally, the city is pronounced as "lane-cuh-stur," with emphasis placed on the first syllable, and the middle syllable being very short. In August 2008, the city was victim of two arson attacks on county buildings. The nearly 200-year-old county courthouse designed by South Carolina architect Robert Mills was heavily damaged in a fire, followed by a similar fire at the county district attorney's office three days later. On September 18, 2008, Martavious Carter, age 17, was arrested for multiple burglaries and also charged with the arson in these two cases. The courthouse holds the distinction of being the site of the last witch trials to take place in the United States.

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 South 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...