Mentally, I have been planning a camping trip for several years now. Sleeping under the starry skies and hiking through some of the most pristine forests this country has to offer. I have looked at backpacks with lightweight frames, moleskin to prevent blisters, outdoor cooking equipment, and, of course, a coffee pot. One interesting thing that I have looked at are water treatment tablets. After researching... [more]

Shigella is a family of bacteria that can cause diarrhea in humans. Shigella were discovered over 100 years ago by a Japanese scientist named Shiga, for whom they are named. There are several different kinds of Shigella bacteria: Shigella sonnei, also known as “group D” Shigella, accounts for over two-thirds of shigellosis in the United States. Shigella flexneri, or “group B”... [more]

Putnam, Connecticut residents have spent the past four days without municipal tap water due to concerns of E. coli contamination. Residents have had to rely on water shipped into the city via trucks to maintain the supply of drinkable water. Local businesses have either shut down or switched to disposable plates and glasses as just washing dishes poses a serious threat. Though there have been no reported... [more]

While on nearly a daily basis (compliments of seemingly endless recalls) we are painfully reminded of just how unsafe our food supply really is, we are periodically reminded in equally graphic terms that our health and safety is not just threatened by food borne illness; there is also the ever present threat of waterborne illness. Testing of well water in a community just outside of Midland Texas has... [more]

I started handling waterborne illness litigation over 20 years ago, when I was asked to represent the family of  a seaman who we suspected of having been exposed to and died from consuming contaminated water.  Since then, we have represented hundreds of victims of water related contamination and have learned that many of these incidents seem to fly under the media radar screen. A recent example escaping... [more]