When a product is sold in the United States, the public assumes that it is safe, unless they are appropriately warned. Product liability laws and consumer protection laws are supposed to keep Americans from major harm or injury from any product, including toxic materials and prescription drugs that are defective. Still, dangerous products do get released onto the market and sometimes it takes litigation or a huge scandal to bring a halt to the production or distribution of products that cause diseases or injury.
One of the most pervasive examples of dangerous and disease causing products is cigarettes. Not only did the major tobacco companies create a dangerous product, they also conspired to hide the product defect for years creating a virtual epidemic of lung cancer emphysema, heart disease and a multitude of other illnesses, not to mention a nearly nationwide addiction. Today they are being held accountable through thousands of product liability lawsuits and by federal and state governments who are seeking compensation on behalf of the millions of dollars in medical care that has been used for cancers caused by smoking.
The pharmaceutical companies have also played a major part in marketing and selling medications, which although successful in treating some specific ailments have induced serious diseases in some of those who have taken the drugs. Many pharmaceuticals have been recalled or pulled from the market but not before they caused diseases like hepatitis, juvenile diabetes, kidney disease, Parkinson disease, Cancer, Stevens Johnson syndrome and countless others. These diseases are all potentially deadly and painful and difficult to live with and its possible they could have been avoided with more strenuous vetting from the FDA. Additionally, many pharmaceutical companies like Merck, were well aware of the potentially damaging side effects of their Vioxx drug and failed to warn consumers of the dangers. Clearly, no one who wants to lower their cholesterol by taking a medication like Crestor thinks they will ultimately suffer from kidney failure and require a transplant or dialysis, yet situation like this arise every day.
Sadly, litigation is one of the best ways to draw attention to these product defects and although there is a great deal of consternation over the number of lawsuits being filed against big businesses over product liability and defective drugs, the truth is that if there weren’t defective products there would be far fewer lawsuits. If industrial workers hadn’t been consistently and chronically exposed to asbestos there would not be an exponentially growing number of mesothelioma and asbestosis cases in America. If pregnant women were warned about the dangers of taking SSRI antidepressant drugs, like Paxil, during their pregnancy, there would not be instances of babies being born with Persistent pulmonary hypertension and being faced with lifelong disabilities as a result of this preventable condition.
If you or someone you care about has been exposed to a dangerous product and developed a disease or been caused an injury by that product you should seek the help of a qualified product liability attorney or personal injury attorney as soon as possible.