Mazama (population 230) is a small village nestled in the Methow Valley of the Methow River in the eastern part of Washington. It is 13 miles (21 km) northwest of Winthrop and about 28 miles (45 km) from the Canadian border. Located on the eastern flank of the Cascade mountain range, forests of Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine cover Mazama and the surrounding area, which is home to one of the world's longest cross-country skiing trails, stretching for 120 miles (193 km) and running through the town itself. Mazama's town center elevation is 2,178 feet (664 meters) and it is located 2.7 miles south, and 4,700 feet below Goat Peak. Mazama and Winthrop recorded the coldest temperature ever measured in Washington state at −48 °F (-44.4 °C) on December 30, 1968. In the 19th century the town was called "Goat Creek". When a post office was secured in 1899 the settlers chose a name they thought was Greek for "mountain goat". They later discovered that they had looked in the wrong dictionary. Mazama means "mountain goat" in Spanish, not Greek. Since 2006, Mazama has been the site of Caps Camping.

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 Washington

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...