The legal team at Baron and Budd has pursued a number of water contamination cases that affect the safety of the American drinking supply.
The legal team at Baron and Budd has pursued a number of water contamination cases that affect the safety of the American drinking supply. One of the more worrying chemicals currently being targeted by litigation at Baron and Budd is atrazine, a powerful herbicide used across the United States.
Atrazine is an herbicide employed at the beginning of the growing season to kill weeds before planting crops. Farmers primarily use atrazine for corn and soybean crops, but it can also be for sugarcane, sorghum or lawn grass. One of the most widespread herbicides in use in America, atrazine can be found in approximately three-quarters of streams in agricultural areas, as well as in almost half of groundwater samples.
Banned in the European Union, atrazine has been shown to cause harm to wildlife and is thought to have similar effects on people. Atrazine levels do not remain constant in drinking water, but spikes in the concentration can prove harmful, especially to children. This is because atrazine belongs to a class of substances known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC). In simple terms, this means atrazine interferes with reproductive hormones, causing major biological changes even at low levels. For instance, frogs exposed to low levels of atrazine experience sex changes, and rats develop insulin resistance and obesity.
In addition to the effects atrazine has on animal and human health, it also causes damage to the environment. When atrazine runs off fields and into streams and rivers, it disrupts plant life in aquatic systems. A large proportion of atrazine ends up in the Gulf of Mexico, where it has been responsible for killing the aquatic plant life that provides oxygen to fish and other marine animals.
Atrazine is expensive to remove from drinking water, as it must be filtered through granular activated charcoal. Although over 1,200 public drinking systems in the United States currently experience atrazine contamination, few are equipped with the filtration mechanisms necessary to remove the chemical.
Baron and Budd has a lengthy history of precedent-setting results for litigation surrounding hazardous exposure and contamination. In their 30 years of experience, representing victims of asbestos exposure as well as other occupational or environmental damages, these veteran attorneys have established a proven track record for successful outcome. Over time, Baron and Budd P.C. has become a highly respected law firm that takes great pride in helping individuals, families and even companies to protect what’s right.
Jim firmly believes that mesothelioma should be banned. It should not be legal anywhere. He hopes that mesothelioma lawyers and mesothelioma law firms such as baron and budd can help rid the world of asbestos.
