Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer Blog

The Missouri Hazardous Waste Management Commission met recently to discuss changes to Missouri’s hazardous waste management regulations that will bring them in line with federal regulations designed to control pollution, according to Lake News Online. The regulations will address underground storage tanks for hazardous materials as well as other public health and safety regulations. As experienced St. Louis chemical exposure attorneys, we fully support the Commission in its efforts.

The regulations being considered by the Commission would create several changes. For instance, one proposed regulation will require hazardous waste management facilities to submit a health profile along with other required paperwork to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The health profile must include information about diseases associated with the particular hazardous wastes stored at the site, as well as information about the rate of these diseases in the surrounding community and the risks that community members face of developing the listed diseases.

Another set of proposed rule changes will update Missouri’s requirements for underground hazardous waste storage. The Commission notes that Missouri’s underground storage tank regulations have not been updated in over twenty years, and that, consequently, regulators are not currently able to take advantage of the significant improvements in testing, storage, and safety technology and procedures that have developed during that time. The new regulations are intended to bring Missouri’s regulations up to speed when it comes to using the best technology available to store hazardous waste safely.

Hazardous waste and hazardous materials storage facilities are heavily regulated because, in many cases, a leak or spill can cause serious damage to the health of the community. If you’ve been exposed to toxic materials and suffered injury, the experienced Missouri personal injury attorneys at Page Law can help. Call us today at 314-322-8515 for a free consultation. You can also visit our Page Law Facebook page for useful information and other topics of interest.

Missouri’s State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) recently received a $30,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which SEMA will use to review chemical storage safety at several sites across the state, according to a recent CBS news report.

The grant funds will be used to focus on chemical processing and storage sites that handle between 500 and 20,000 pounds of chemicals. Auditors working under the grant program will focus on facilities that have not filed complete, accurate, and/or timely reports as required under the federal Clean Air Act. These facilities are required to file these and other regular reports with the EPA, but the audits will review the reports for accuracy and timeliness.

By awarding the grant to the Missouri SEMA, the EPA also hopes to improve cooperation among Missouri’s chemical facilities, SEMA officials, and the communities in which large chemical facilities are located. SEMA expects to work with local emergency management officials to give them a better understanding of what chemicals each facility handles and what community emergency plans might be necessary in case of an accident.

The spill or airborne release of chemicals is rare, but these accidents can have serious consequences. Many industrial chemicals are hazardous to human health, and some can even cause death. If you or someone you love has been injured by chemical exposure in Missouri, please don’t hesitate to contact Page Law. Our knowledgeable St. Louis chemical exposure injury attorneys will fight to protect your rights and hold any negligent parties accountable for the harm their actions caused. For a free case evaluation, call Page Law today at 314-322-8515.

Recently, it seems like broken oil and natural gas pipelines are everywhere. Explosions of natural gas pipelines left neighborhoods decimated and their inhabitants nursing severe injuries in California and Pennsylvania. Broken oil pipelines have sent thousands of gallons of crude into rivers in Montana and Michigan, causing injuries from hazardous chemical exposure and lung damage from inhalation.

In the wake of these disasters, Congressional members from both parties have banded together to set stricter rules for pipeline use and maintenance. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have said they will work together to decrease pipeline risks and create ways for injured workers and community members to seek compensation.

One new bill, introduced by Michigan representatives John Dingell (D) and Fred Upton (R), would require oil and gas companies to replace aging cast-iron pipes with stronger materials, use special care when running a pipeline near or under a body of water, and use up-to-date technology to detect leaks or weak spots that might result in leaks. Some oil and gas company representatives, however, are opposing the bill, saying that it would be too complicated and costly to update aging pipelines or monitor entire networks for possible leaks.

Oil and gas lines that aren’t maintained properly may break, causing leaks or explosions that can result in serious personal injury or even death. Severe burns may be caused by an explosion, and lung and other organ damage may be caused by exposure to toxic fumes from oil or gas, or from other materials burned after a pipeline leak ignites.

If you’ve been injured in a chemical spill or leak, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced Missouri chemical inhalation attorneys at Page Law. We will help you hold any negligent parties accountable for their actions. For a free consultation, call Page Law at 314-322-8515 today.

A new study from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research shows that smoke from fireworks can be harmful to your health, according to ScienceDaily.com.

The study looked at fiestas in Spain, which feature fireworks displays, and found that the smoke released from fireworks contains metallic particles that can be harmful to inhale. The metallic particles are added to gunpowder in order to produce colors and special effects, and the particles are tiny enough to be inhaled deeply into the lungs.

The effects from inhaling the smoke are most serious in those people with asthma or cardiovascular health problems. The study did not discuss what the effects are of inhaling smoke from fireworks by people not affected by respiratory or cardiovascular disorders.

In order to prevent health damage from fireworks, scientists recommend that spectators keep their distance from the smoke from fireworks, and look at wind direction to determine where the smoke might blow. This is particularly true for people with health problems. For those planning fireworks displays, they should be planned in a place to make sure the smoke blows away from large groups of people to avoid inhalation of the harmful metallic particles.

Although most people can avoid fireworks displays if necessary, not everyone can avoid being exposed to deadly chemicals and therefore suffering chemical inhalation injuries. Sometimes, chemical inhalation occurs when a company illegally disposes of hazardous chemicals. Chemical inhalation injuries could also occur if a semi-truck carrying dangerous chemicals crashes and dumps those chemicals into the environment.

If you have suffered health problems as a result of exposure to dangerous chemicals, contact the Missouri chemical inhalation attorneys at Page Law, LLC. We have the experience, knowledge, and skills needed to help you with your chemical inhalation case. Contact our experienced lawyers today at 314-322-8515.