Nidel & Nace, P.L.L.C.

Tag: Cancer

  • Meridian Heights Idaho Water – Is it Safe for Drinking?

    Documents and data obtained from the State of Idaho confirms that for a number of recent years residents have been given excessive amounts of radiation in their drinking water.  One particularly egregious example is in the Meridian Heights Water District.  Between 2004 and 2010, the water from the three wells used to serve Meridian Heights citizens averaged over 58 ug/ml (micrograms per milliliter) of combined uranium or almost twice the federally mandated safe level (the maximum contaminant level or “MCL”) of 30.  The level was as high as 85 over this same period, almost 3-times the safe limit.  According to the EPA, the MCL has been set to protect against the “increased risk of cancer” and “kidney toxicity”.  The data is summarized below:

    Combine Uranium in Meridian Heights Water
    Combine Uranium in Meridian Heights Water

    Radiation has been linked to all forms of cancer.  Some of the earliest studies of radiation and cancer were done on workers using radioactive paint to make glow in the dark watches.  These workers suffered from excess bone cancers as well as other bone effects believe to be related to the ingestion of radiation.  Damage to teeth, the jaw, and other bones in the body is also associated with ingestion of radiation.  In addition, other cancers may be associated with radiation in drinking water, including leukemias, lymphomas, and other blood and organ cancers.  Specifically, uranium in drinking water (at levels lower than those identified) is associated with risks for leukemia, kidney cancer, as well as lung cancer.

    If you or a loved one believe that they may have been impacted by drinking water contaminated with excessive amounts of uranium, please complete the brief questionnaire below to contact the firm.

  • Surgeon General Urges Teens to Stop Indoor Tanning

    Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States.   In response, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a call to action to prevent skin cancer.  The Surgeon General noted that despite the fact that most skin cancer is preventable, the rates of skin cancer are on the rise.  This is particularly troubling because it is the most common cancer among teens and young adults.  The Call to Action states:

    “While many other cancers, such as lung cancer, are decreasing, rates of melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — are increasing,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H. “As a skin oncologist who worked in this field for many years, I have cared for both the young and old with skin cancers. Almost all of these cancers were caused by unnecessary ultraviolet radiation exposure, usually from excessive time in the sun or from the use of indoor tanning devices.”

    Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. Each year, more than 63,000 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. and nearly 9,000 people die from this disease. Rates of melanoma increased more than 200 percent from 1973 to 2011. Melanoma is also one of the most common types of cancer among U.S. teens and young adults.

    According to research cited in the Call to Action, more than 400,000 cases of skin cancer, about 6,000 of which are melanomas, are estimated to be related to indoor tanning in the U.S. each year. Currently, as many as 44 states plus the District of Columbia have some type of law or regulation related to indoor tanning, but nearly one out of every three white women aged 16 to 25 years engages in indoor tanning each year.

    The fact is that tanned skin is damaged skin and there is no good that can result from indoor tanning.  The risks of a sun tan are well established, whether that tan is results from sun exposure outdoors or from “controlled” radiation exposure in a tanning salon.

    If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with skin cancer and have a history of indoor tanning, please contact an attorney with Nidel Law today.

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  • Nidel Law Files Case for Boy with Leukemia Exposed to Benzene

    On November 15, 2011 the family of a child cancer patient filed a Complaint against BP, Chevron, and other owners and operators of a bulk petroleum transport and storage facility near the boy’s home.

    Oakwood Aerial

    The plaintiff, who was born and raised within a half-mile radius of the facility, was diagnosed at age four with a specific type of childhood leukemia associated with benzene exposure.  Unbeknownst to the child’s family, the defendants had engaged in documented and illegal disposal methods of toxic chemicals, including benzene, for years.  The improper and hazardous activities included dumping toxic waste on the ground near the child’s house and contamination of a drinking water well which the child’s family used.

    The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, names some of the world’s largest oil companies, including BP, Chevron, Unocal, Transmontaigne Product Services, Gulf Oil, Louis Dreyfus Highbridge Energy, LLC, Colonial Pipeline, and Plantation Pipe Line.

    The family is represented by Chris Nidel of Nidel Law, PLLC in Washington, D.C., and Matt Harman of Harman Law LLC in Atlanta, Georgia.