The brain is a highly sensitive organ. It can suffer damage from toxic chemicals in the air you breathe, the water you drink, or the food you eat. You can even suffer brain damage indirectly from toxic exposure, given its side effects, which include oxygen deprivation and damage to your other organs.
Unfortunately, doctors cannot cure brain damage from toxic exposure. As a result, you may face a lifetime of deteriorating health and increasing disabilities after exposure to toxic chemicals.
Learn about brain injuries from toxic exposure and what you can do to recover compensation for these injuries. Contact the Los Angeles brain injury attorneys at M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers for assistance at (877) 300-4535.
How M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You Recover Compensation for a Brain Injury Caused from Toxic Exposure
The lawyers at M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers have over 100 years of combined experience. Since its founding in 2013, the firm’s Los Angeles personal injury attorneys have recovered over $400 million in injury compensation for their clients.
The experienced lawyers at M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers have earned many awards and honors, including Avvo’s Clients’ Choice Award, the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers, and the Top Attorney rating from Los Angeles Magazine.
If you hire our Los Angeles brain injury lawyers to help with your case, we’ll:
- Investigate how your brain injury occurred and who is liable for it
- Value the full extent of your losses, including future medical needs and diminished quality of life
- Negotiate with insurance companies and other opposing parties on your behalf to try to reach a fair settlement
- Litigate your brain injury case in court if we fail to secure a fair settlement agreement for you
Should you suffer a brain injury, you may require intense and expensive medical treatment. Your injury may even disable you from working. Contact M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your brain injury and the compensation you can seek for it.
How Common Are Brain Injuries from Toxic Exposure?
Doctors do not know how often toxic exposure causes brain injuries. One reason is that chemicals that can affect the brain may take decades to cause noticeable damage.
Another reason is that some toxins cause developmental problems in babies and small children. These children could suffer from problems for years before finally receiving a diagnosis that connects their brain injuries to toxic exposure.
The biggest problem in identifying the risk of brain injuries from toxic exposure comes from proving a causal link between chemicals and brain damage. Chemical companies sometimes only test chemicals for a few months before marketing the chemical as “safe.”
When these chemicals reach the public, people could be exposed to them for years or decades in places that include:
- Workplaces
- Homes
- Vehicles
- Food and water
- Gardens and fields
In many cases, brain damage has already occurred by the time the users understand the dangers posed by these chemicals.
Overview of Brain Injuries from Toxic Exposure
You can be exposed to toxic chemicals in many ways. When these chemicals enter your body, your cells must metabolize them to get rid of them.
Some chemicals immediately damage brain cells, as your body cannot metabolize them fast enough to prevent them from doing so.
In other cases, the cells simply cannot break down the chemicals. They linger in the body, damaging the brain.
Symptoms and Causes of Brain Injuries from Toxic Exposure
Symptoms of brain damage from toxins include:
- Confusion
- Memory loss
- Inability to concentrate
- Loss of coordination
- Tremors
Brain damage can result from toxic exposures in a few ways, including:
Oxygen Deprivation
Some gasses and fumes damage your brain by depriving it of oxygen. These molecules bind to the red blood cells, preventing them from picking up oxygen to deliver to your brain’s cells. Carbon monoxide poisoning, for example, occurs because red blood cells prefer to attach to carbon monoxide over oxygen.
Neurotoxicity
Some chemicals are designed to damage nerve cells. For example, some pesticides kill insects or rodents by damaging their nervous systems. When you get exposed to these chemicals, they can potentially have the same effect on you.
Solvent Neurotoxicity
Some solvents, like benzene, persist in the human body. The toxic effects of these chemicals can cause long-term brain damage.
Heavy metals like lead inhibit brain development in children. Exposure to lead often comes through lead pipes and lead paint in older homes.
Theories of Liability for Toxic Exposure
You have a few options for seeking compensation for brain injuries resulting from toxic exposure:
Workplace Exposure
If you were exposed to toxic chemicals in the workplace, you could seek workers’ compensation benefits, which cover your medical expenses and part of the income you lose from not working.
Product Liability
Manufacturers have a legal duty to release safe products into the stream of commerce.
Still, when they release a defective or dangerous product, they bear strict liability for the damage the product causes.
- A chemical has a design defect if it has no safe use
- A warning defect may exist if the company fails to explain how to safely use a chemical without risking toxic exposure
- A product has a manufacturing defect if dangerous contaminants are introduced during the manufacturing process
To prove product liability, you need to verify a causal connection between your brain injury and the defect.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Los Angeles Brain Injury Lawyers If You Were Exposed to Toxic Substances
You will have many needs after suffering a brain injury, including treatment, physical and mental therapy, and medication. You may even need a caretaker to help you with your daily tasks. To discuss the compensation you can seek for your brain injuries from toxic exposure, contact M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.
