Toxic Consumer Products
- Laundry detergents & Laundry Pods—Ingestion can result in nausea, vomiting, shock, convulsions and coma.
- All-purpose cleaners contain detergents, grease-cutting agents, solvents and disinfectants, including ammonia, ethylene glycol and others. Never mix two cleaners together, especially products containing ammonia and chlorine.
- Chlorine Bleach—liquid and vapors may irritate the skin, eyes, nose and throat. Ingestion can cause severe chemical injury.
- Flea and tick treatment solutions—Pet flea and tick products contain toxic pesticides.
- Insecticides—diazinon, propoxur and chlorpyrifos may cause headache, dizziness, twitching and nausea.
- Dishwashing detergent—phosphate can produce skin irritation or chemical burns and may be poisonous if swallowed.
- Oven cleaners—sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide can cause serious burns to skin and eyes.
- Window and glass cleaner—ammonia and isopropanol
- Bait traps for insects and rodent bait—Insect baits include abarmectin, propoxur, trichlorfon, sulfluramid, chlorpyrifos, and boric acid. Baits for rodent control may contain warfarin.
- Toilet bowl cleaners—sodium hypochlorite or hydrochloric acid, and bleach can burn the skin or throat.
- Mold and mildew removers—chlorine and alkyl ammonium chlorides are fungicide chemicals found in mold and mildew removers. Wear mask and gloves when using these products.
- Drain cleaners—Lye can cause burns to skin and eyes, and sulfuric acid can damage the kidneys, liver, and digestive tract.
- Rug, carpet, and upholstery cleaners may contain perchloroethylene (PCE), naphthalene and ammonium hydroxide. The fumes may cause cancer and liver damage.
- Air fresheners contain formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, p-dichlorobenzene and aerosol propellants, which are linked to cancer and brain damage.
- Swimming pool chloride tablets
- Weed killers like glyphosate are associated with cancer and severe household chemicals injury.
The Lyon Firm focuses on toxic tort litigation and product liability lawsuits filed on behalf of injured plaintiffs. When consumers are injured as a result of unsafe products, companies can be held liable for the injuries and illnesses that result.
Understanding Toxic Exposure from Household Products
Toxic exposure occurs when harmful chemicals enter the body through inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion. Common household products containing hazardous substances include cleaning solutions with volatile organic compounds, air fresheners releasing phthalates, non-stick cookware containing PFAS chemicals, and furniture treated with flame retardants linked to hormonal disruption.
Children face particularly elevated risks due to their developing systems and tendency to place objects in their mouths. Pregnant women exposed to certain household toxins may experience complications affecting fetal development. Long-term exposure to seemingly innocuous products can accumulate, causing respiratory conditions, neurological damage, reproductive harm, and various cancers.
Manufacturers bear responsibility for ensuring their products are safe for intended uses and for providing adequate warnings about potential hazards. When companies prioritize profits over consumer safety, they create dangerous situations in the very places families should feel most secure.
Building Your Toxic Exposure Case
Successful toxic exposure claims require establishing several key elements. Plaintiffs must demonstrate exposure to the specific product, prove the product contained dangerous substances, show the manufacturer knew or should have known about the hazards, and establish a direct connection between exposure and resulting health problems.
Medical documentation forms the foundation of these cases. Detailed records showing diagnosis, treatment, and expert opinions linking conditions to chemical exposure prove essential. Environmental testing of the home may reveal contamination levels supporting claims about exposure intensity and duration.
Preserving the actual product provides critical physical evidence for laboratory analysis. Product packaging, receipts, and documentation of purchase dates help establish the timeline of exposure. Witness statements from family members observing symptoms developing can corroborate claims about when health problems began.
Expert testimony from toxicologists, medical specialists, and chemical engineers helps juries understand complex scientific concepts. These professionals explain how specific chemicals cause particular health conditions and why reasonable alternative formulations existed that manufacturers should have used.
Compensation Available in Toxic Exposure Claims
Victims of toxic household product exposure may recover various forms of compensation. Economic damages include past and future medical expenses, costs of ongoing monitoring for delayed health effects, lost wages during treatment, and reduced earning capacity if permanent impairment results.
Non-economic damages address pain, suffering, emotional distress, and diminished quality of life. Families may pursue loss of consortium claims when toxic exposure affects relationships. In wrongful death cases, survivors can seek compensation for funeral expenses, lost financial support, and loss of companionship.
Punitive damages may apply when manufacturers demonstrated willful disregard for consumer safety. Courts award these damages to punish egregious corporate behavior and deter similar conduct by other companies.
