New York Personal Injury Laws

The Dangers of Tylenol

One culprit. And each year, 450 deaths. 26,000 hospitalizations. 56,000 emergency room visits. 100,000 calls to poison control centers. The suspect? A very common everyday drug.

On a weekend in February of 1993, 37-year-old Antonio Benedi felt a case of the flu coming on. As many people have done, he reached for a common over-the-counter pain medication. “I was taking Tylenol like I was supposed to by the label,” Benedi said. Within a few days, he was in a comma and desperately needed a liver transplant.

Benedi said that while he did take the medicine on a mostly empty stomach, he did not take the drug irresponsibly, which is what many people think must happen in order to be harmed by Tylenol. “I never misused anything,” he said, “I took Tylenol as recommended for three days. By Monday night, my liver was failing. By the time I reached the hospital, I was near death.”

Usage & Dosage Amounts

Not everyone is harmed by Tylenol. The issue here is that so many are, and that the manufacturer’s warnings seem inadequate. Tylenol was originally approved by the FDA in 1955 and has enjoyed the public’s and medical communities’ trust for decades. Many have touted Tylenol as the safest drug on the market. The medication world assumes that consumers tend to exceed the recommended dosage of over-the-counter drugs for various reasons.

For example, they may not realize they are taking other medications that also contain the same ingredients. Others may not remember exactly when they last took a dosage. Also, many people view over-the-counter drugs as extremely safe and think that taking one or two extra pills won’t cause any harm. A typical over-the-counter drug has a maximum safe dosage of roughly ten times the recommended dosage on the bottle. However, Tylenol’s manufacturer recommends a dosage that is equal to the maximum safe dosage, leaving no room for error. Acetaminophen, that is Tylenol, bears a warning about liver damage, but no warning about liver failure or death. In fact, acetaminophen is the number one cause of acute liver failure in the United States.

Alcohol Effects

Let’s take a look at two groups of pain sufferers who may have a strong probability of being harmed by the drug. Users who have ingested alcohol and users who are fasting. Small print on the labels do warn against taking the drug if you’re having three drinks of alcohol daily. This is not the clearest explanation of how much is too much if for example, you had several drinks last night and none today. Headaches are common during fasting and during hangovers. Acetaminophen is often used for relief at these times. The human liver is normally capable of neutralizing the chemicals in Tylenol’s manufacturer’s recommended dosage. However, for people with alcohol in their bloodstream or who are fasting, their liver is already functioning at a higher capacity and is therefore unable to process the toxins found in acetaminophen.

Hunger Effects

People fast for many reasons and for different lengths of time. Even breakfast follows a fast. It is breaking a fast if you refrain from eating between supper and breakfast. Low-income children and adults may skip one or two meals. Many other people fast to lose weight and for religious purposes.

Do you think that Tylenol and other acetaminophen manufacturers should warn of the dangers such as liver failure and death when taken at the recommended dosage? Next time on You Be The Judge. Does evidence show that dosages equal to or less than Tylenol’s recommendation are deadly?

By: Edward Lake

Signature Disease

Mesothelioma has been called a signature disease, a signature of asbestos exposure. So, what does that mean? Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney in New York City, and I’m going to answer this question for you by explaining to you what a signature disease is. So, a doctor, or a scientist, the physician, whenever they see a patient with mesothelioma, they immediately think asbestos exposure. And why is that? That’s because mesothelioma is a signature disease. The disease bears the signature of the exposure to asbestos. So, every physician who is evaluating a patient’s mesothelioma case, will immediately be looking for asbestos exposures. The known and widely accepted cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. That means that all the physicians know to a certainly that that particular patient who’s been diagnosed with mesothelioma was exposed to asbestos. Now, sometimes patients think mesothelioma is a form of cancer. What kind of things have I done in my life that could have caused me to get cancer? They start thinking about things like smoking cigarettes. Well, I can tell you that there’s no doctor in the world that would say that smoking cigarettes caused mesothelioma, because it doesn’t. They think, “Well, I was exposed to a lot of chemicals,” or “I was out in the sun.” We tend to think about all the things that we know are known carcinogens, but mesothelioma is a very unique cancer, only 2,000 cases diagnosed per year in the United States, and the widely accepted cause of mesothelioma is asbestos, not these other things that sometimes we think of. So, persons exposed to asbestos fibers, it takes years and years for the asbestos fibers to cause malignant mesothelioma, and in this position of years later tracing back what your possible exposure to asbestos could have been. I encourage you to call my office. I’m Joe Williams, and we answer questions from mesothelioma victims every day. We represent mesothelioma victims and their families in court every day, and we can answer your questions. I hope you found this video informative, and thank you very much for watching.

Tylenol Health Risks

Previously on You Be the Judge, 37-year-old Antonio Benedi felt a case of the flu coming on. After taking the recommended dosage of Tylenol for three consecutive days he ended up in coma, near death, and was in desperate need of a liver transplant. One culprit and each year 450 deaths, 26,000 hospitalizations, 56,000 emergency room visits, 100,000 calls to Poison Control Centers. The suspect? A very common, everyday drug.

Acetaminophen Dosages

When people hear about the dangers of Tylenol or acetaminophen they often assume that Tylenol only harms people who abuse the medication or who don’t follow the directions. Is this true? And is the recommended dosage safe? It is widely asserted that a daily intake of 7,000 milligrams can severely damage an adult’s liver, but the level at which such damage begins to occur is predicted to be much lower. Levels as small as 2,000 to 4,000 milligrams have been implicated in approximately 10% of deaths related to acetaminophen, proving that the medication does not have to be abused to cause harm.

Considering that a single capsule of extra strength versions of acetaminophen is 500 milligrams, as few as four capsules might damage the liver. This is particularly concerning when you realize that bottles containing 500 milligram capsules of acetaminophen say that the maximum daily dosage is eight pills. 8 times 500 milligrams a total of 4,000 milligrams.

To add to the confusion around this medication, prescription drugs containing acetaminophen often have warnings about liver failure and even death, but the over-the-counter versions do not.  In 2009 the FDA recommended that the adult daily dosage for acetaminophen be reduced from the current maximum of 4,000 milligrams to no more than 3,250 milligrams.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary and the manufacturer of Tylenol, responded that they feared the recommendations could have the effect of steering consumers away from their drugs. To this day the company has not reduced the recommended dosage.

Selling Tylenol & Acetaminophen Over-The-Counter

Consider the following facts:

One, hundreds of the drug users die annually and tens of thousands are hospitalized. Two, over-the-counter forms do not warn of liver failure or death while prescription forms often do. Three, acetaminophen is the number one cause of acute liver failure. Four, the maximum dosage and the manufacturer’s recommended safe dosage leave no room for human error. Five, warnings on the label about alcohol are not very clear. Six, there are no warnings on the label about taking the medication while fasting. See the previous episode for details about taking acetaminophen with alcohol or while fasting. Seven, alternative medications are available that yield the same benefits and far fewer risks. Eight, many experts believe if Tylenol were introduced as a new drug today it would not be approved.

The damaging effects of acetaminophen are linked to over 100,000 Poison Control Center calls, 56,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and more than 450 deaths each year.   One final thought, if the side effects and risks linked with acetaminophen were associated with a dietary supplement, it would be pulled from the market immediately.

By: Edward Lake

Dentists and Dental Technicians Exposed to Asbestos

Did you know that dentists and dental technicians are being diagnosed with mesothelioma from their work in dental labs years ago?

Hi, I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney, and I want to talk to you about some of these exposures to asbestos. So someone who now is an older gentleman, and is a dentist, and has been a dentist their entire career is diagnosed with mesothelioma, and they’re trying to figure out how could they have been exposed to asbestos, because all their doctors are telling them that the mesothelioma diagnosis is from asbestos. It’s caused by asbestos. So they journey back on the history of their life to determine if there’s ever a time when they worked with asbestos.

 Possible Ways of Exposure

And what we’ve found is that back when they were in dental school, they worked making crowns, and they used a method called the lost-wax method. And what that means is that wax is placed into an object, and it is used to make a mold for the crown. But what’s important about this process is that the lining underneath the wax is an asbestos-containing paper, and it’s used to withstand the high heat of when this mold is placed into the oven.

Now the dental technician – or the dental student in the example I’m giving, who later became a dentist – had to cut that paper and manipulate it, and it’s made of asbestos. And in doing that repeatedly over a course of time, exposed that person to asbestos dust, asbestos fibers that they breathe, which cause them to – decades later – be diagnosed with mesothelioma.

 Contact Us with Questions and Concerns

Now I’m telling you this information, because you have questions about Mesothelioma and how it is caused. I’m Joe Williams. At my office, we deal with issues like these every day, and we answer questions every day for mesothelioma victims and for their family members .

If you have questions, I invite you to contact our office, and we’ll answer your questions.

Thank you.

Dry Cleaner Exposed to Asbestos

Did you know that workers in a dry cleaner can be exposed to asbestos and get mesothelioma? Hi. I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney, and I want to talk to you about some of the exposures that workers in a dry cleaner setting can have to asbestos.

 How Do Dry Cleaners Expose Asbestos

A dry cleaner is a commercial business wherein clothes are laundered and pressed. In order to do that, steam presses exist at the dry cleaner. Now, the steam, and this is some years ago, was created by equipment, a boiler.

And that boiler would be covered with asbestos, and the pipes from that steam-generating boiler would be covered with asbestos steam pipes. The steam is fed to a press machine. In many circumstances the press consist of two metal surfaces that push down on clothes, and basically iron them or press them.

And on the two metal surfaces, the coding of that metal surface is a pad on each of the surfaces. And that pad, some years ago, was made of asbestos to handle the high heat of the steam that is penetrating through the pad and into the clothes to steam the clothing.

And because of the high heat, and because of the commercial use of these steam presses in which hundreds of garments was steamed by day, the pads would wear out very quickly and have to be replaced. Often the pads would burn on to the press, and have to be torn off.

And the worker in the dry cleaner would be exposed to asbestos from those pads, and the use and the replacement of the pads on a regular basis. Additionally, in large commercial settings where laundry is done, large commercial washers and dryers has asbestos components.

 Asbestos Exposure Continued

In the United States Navy, the ships had washers and dryers that had asbestos components. And the workers who worked on these machines, had to deal with these components which included asbestos gaskets and asbestos insulation.

And that work exposed them potentially to asbestos, which could cause mesothelioma years later, years, decades, after the work was done. I’m telling you all this because you have questions about mesothelioma. I’m Joe Williams.

 Contact Us With Questions and Concerns

At my office we handle mesothelioma cases every day, and we answer questions for mesothelioma victims and for their families each and every day, and we deal with these issues constantly. If you have questions, please feel free to contact my office. We’ll answer your questions. Thank you very much.

Railroad Companies Already Making Their Case

It’s very important if you’re an injured railroad worker, that you hire an experienced law firm as soon as possible. The reason is, the railroad has a whole system that goes into effect right away. They have all sorts of departments that collect evidence, they take witness statements, they reenact your injury. And before you know it, they’ve tied up the defense of the case before you’ve gotten out of your hospital bed.

You need an experienced attorney who knows how the railroad industry works, understand the law, what the proof is that’s required to win your case. We can help you at the Maurer Law–

World Trade Center Builders Exposed to Asbestos

Did you know that dry wall installers at the World Trade Center site were exposed to asbestos?

Hi, I’m Joe Williams, I’m a Mesothelioma trial attorney, and I can answer some question that you might have about Mesothelioma exposures at the World Trade Center site.

Now, the World Trade Center, composed of seven different buildings, was the most massive construction project of its time when it was building, staring in the late 1960s and into the 1970s. And the internal walls of what was primarily office buildings were built with sheetrock. So we’re talking about massive quantities of sheetrock that was installed at the World Trade Center site by Union Drywall installers.

 Different Exposures of Asbestos

Now, when these boards of sheetrock were put up, in between the seams of each of the boards at the entire site, joint compound was installed. And it was either in a dry mix, it was mixed with water, or it was already premixed and came out of a bucket. But either way it was put between the seams wet, allowed to dry, and then sanded down. And usually tradesmen did two or three coats of this, sanding it down between each coat. And that happened throughout the entire site.

 Asbestos Products Banned

Now why is that important? It’s important because up until 1977 most joint compound continued asbestos. In 1977 the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos in joint compound. But before that time and during the construction of the World Trade Center, that joint compound had asbestos in it. It exposed all of these Union Drywall workers and other tradesmen who worked in the area to large quantities of breathable asbestos dust.

Now, you have Mesothelioma and you have questions about asbestos exposure, especially exposure that could have happened at the World Trade Center site. I’m Joe Williams and our law firm we handle cases for victims of Mesothelioma and their families every single day. I invite you to give us a call and we will be very happy to answer your questions. Thank you.

Asbestos Exposure in Powerhouses

You’ve worked in powerhouses for a good part of your working career, and you were exposed to asbestos, and now you have mesothelioma. Hi. I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney in New York City, and I’d like to talk to you about the types of exposures to asbestos that workers in powerhouses had.

I’d like to talk to you about a former client of mine, who is a powerhouse worker, who is in what’s called the major maintenance gang at one of the utilities here in New York, in New York City. And his job entailed him going to every powerhouse in that particular utility’s system.

 Exposure on the Job

So he is a good client to talk about, because his case involved all the exposures that a typical powerhouse worker would have. So he was able to testify in his case, about exposure to asbestos on boilers. And having worked in powerhouses yourself, you know that the boilers in a powerhouse are giant.

 Large Amounts of Asbestos

Some as tall as ten stories, and just covered and filled with asbestos products, including asbestos block, asbestos cement, asbestos gaskets, asbestos refractory. And this particular former client of mine, talked about asbestos pipe covering on the pipes throughout the powerhouses.

As well as asbestos blankets on the turbines attached with wire to the exterior of the turbines. He talked about asbestos containing flange gaskets, used on almost every pipe in the entire powerhouse. He discussed asbestos coverings on various equipment like pumps and other types of equipment.

He talked about asbestos on valves, he talked about asbestos packing and gaskets used inside of various types of equipment. And these are many of the exposures to asbestos that powerhouse workers could have.

But there are many more, and I’m sure you have many questions about the types of exposures to asbestos that a worker would have in a powerhouse. Well, we can answer your questions. I’m Joe Williams. I invite you to call our office at the number listed below, and we’ll answer your questions. We represent mesothelioma victims every day, and we certainly would be there to answer your questions for you. Thank you for listening.

Boiler Makers Exposed to Asbestos

You’re a boiler maker, and you built boilers and powerhouses in large industrial and commercial buildings. Now, you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma and you’re trying to figure out all the ways that you could have been exposed to asbestos.

Hi. I’m Joe Williams. I’m a mesothelioma trial attorney in New York City, and I can answer questions about the ways that boiler makers were exposed to asbestos.

A union boiler maker built the boilers in the powerhouses, built the boilers in the largest structures in the cities in America. I can talk to you about one particular client of mine who was a union boiler maker, who worked in the local powerhouses here in New York City. His work involved construction and erecting huge multistory boilers, in some circumstances ten stories high, in powerhouses, in power generating stations. This work involved working with and sawing with a saw asbestos block, mixing asbestos cement and applying it to different parts of this boiler apparatus, using this mixed asbestos cement and applying it to steam pipes and hot water pipes, working with flange gaskets, cutting asbestos-containing gaskets to put between metal flanges on pipes, working with packing inside of valves and inside of pumps. This boiler maker that I’m speaking of, this former client of mine, was exposed to asbestos in all of these ways.

These are just some of the exposures that a boiler maker would have. You have questions about how a boiler maker was exposed to asbestos? We can answer those questions. I’m Joe Williams. At our office, we represent victims of mesothelioma everyday. I invite you to call our office at the number below and we’ll answer your questions. Thank you.