$6.8M Settlement for Occupational Lead Exposure

$6.8 million settlement on the eve of trial for a 37-year-old husband and father, who suffered severe exposure to lead during his employment. The plaintiff was employed for 5 years by a New York Hospital in the Radiation Oncology Department, with duties that included boiling down lead in a lab and then molding the lead into vests, to be worn by cancer patients to protect organs during radiation. After a full OSHA investigation, the plaintiff sued the hospital and manufacturers/suppliers of the lead, arguing that he was never advised that the materials which he handled contained lead, failed to provide protective gear and training, and most significantly installed a faulty ventilation system to remove the lead fumes. Due to the toxicity of the lead, which resulted in removing the iron in his blood, he suffered severe neurological symptoms, which included damage to his sight, smell, hearing, as well as motor skill loss, a lower IQ, and impotence.