Protecting Your Rights

Many laws are in place to protect our environment and prevent it from becoming dangerous to us. However, when certain people or entities don’t follow the laws and regulations, they can put the health and well-being of others at risk. That’s where our Fayetteville environmental lawyers may be able to help. McMath Woods serves Arkansas citizens who have been wrongfully injured. If you have been diagnosed with an illness or have lost a loved one due to a preventable environmental hazard, we’ll do everything we can to get justice.

Which Industries Need Environmental Regulations?

A significant part of keeping the environment safe means placing regulations on industries that could produce dangerous chemicals. Companies are supposed to follow protocols that state how to use chemicals, when they can use chemicals, and how to dispose of them. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) details the laws the following industries need to follow:

  • Agriculture
  • Automotive
  • Construction
  • Electric Utilities
  • Oil and Gas
  • Transportation

The agricultural industry uses harmful chemicals like pesticides. It must adhere to regulations that keep the air, water, and soil safe. If it works with animals, it must also have ways to prevent animal waste from contaminating groundwater.

Automotive industry workers come into contact with metals and cleaning solvents, which can be harmful. The EPA also has rules for correctly getting rid of waste. For example, aluminum is used when building light trucks and utility vehicles. The aluminum requires a coating process that produces waste. While there was an amendment to not classify that waste as hazardous, those in the industry cannot put the waste outside, and it needs to be shipped to a landfill equipped to handle the waste without threatening the environment.

Our infrastructure always needs updates. Construction on buildings and roads seems to be happening constantly. However, if construction companies aren’t careful, they could expose workers and others in the area to harmful chemicals. Common hazards they encounter include asbestos and lead. They must have the tools, training, and knowledge to handle those substances.

Electric utilities’ responsibilities include controlling mercury in the air from power plants, properly disposing of fossil fuel combustion waste, and minimizing the impact of cooling water intake structures on local rivers and lakes. Oil and gas can produce several hazardous air pollutants, but the EPA has regulations to reduce these emissions and manage waste from crude oil, natural gas, and wastewater discharges.

Transportation includes moving passengers and cargo, warehousing, sightseeing, and more. It also applies to traveling in aircraft, Diesel boats, and locomotives. Those in charge of any form of transportation need to follow EPA regulations to prevent the release of toxic chemicals into the air and water.

These industries all have myriad rules to follow; when they don’t, they can cause major health problems for innocent people. Our lawyers will investigate how the party harmed the environment and caused your illness or injury.

How Can Pollution Harm You?

When dangerous chemicals seep into the environment, you may not recognize the effects on your health for a while. It could take years for symptoms of an illness to develop.
Let’s investigate what happens when toxic chemicals get into the air. The EPA lists the following health conditions as their greatest concerns:

  • Cancer
  • Asthma, chronic bronchitis
  • Birth defects, miscarriages
  • Cough, throat irritation
  • Nervous system damage
  • Developmental problems in children
  • Skin rashes
  • Kidney, liver damage

Treatment for these illnesses can be expensive. You may be looking at a future of long-term treatment. Your illness could also be preventing you from returning to work. As you’re dealing with all this, you also are supposed to keep up with other financial responsibilities.

Some of the illnesses may lead to an early death. If you’ve lost a loved one because of an environmentally caused illness, you’re dealing with grief as well as the loss of someone you may have depended on financially. You shouldn’t have to worry about how you’ll afford rent or mortgage bills when past medical expenses start arriving in the mail. This can be too much to handle on your own, which is why our lawyers will help you get the compensation you deserve.

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Attorney Tim Giattina

Our Lawyers Are Here for You

The lawyers at McMath Woods are passionate about environmental litigation and advocating for those whose lives have been put on hold because of an injury or illness in Arkansas. Our attorneys stay current on environmental laws and will do everything we can to get you the help you need. Contact our office today so we can meet and discuss your case in an obligation-free consultation.

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