ASBESTOS IN CHILDREN'S HOLIDAY TOYS
Weitz & Luxenberg Responds to the Risks

December 12, 2007, New York, NY— As children excitedly await their toys from Santa, this Christmas season brings dangerous health risks none at the North Pole could ever anticipate: playthings and other consumer products that contain asbestos.

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an organization that advocates for asbestos victims, recently released the results of an independent study. Findings indicate that despite the known health risks linked to asbestos, many home and garden items are produced with the carcinogen. Among them are several children’s toys, including the “CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit,” manufactured in China for Planet Toys of New York.

“In the past few months, it seems that we are reading almost daily reports of toys being recalled because of toxins or other safety concerns,” said Benjamin Darche, an attorney in Weitz & Luxenberg’s Asbestos Litigation unit. “As a parent, I’m deeply disturbed that despite the quantifiable findings of the laboratories that conducted the studies for the ADAO, the CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit remains available for sale by both Internet retailers and national megachain stores,” Darche added.

Weitz & Luxenberg is known for its preeminent role in the prosecution of asbestos cases. In 2007, the firm won a $37 million asbestos verdict in two lung cancer cases in a reverse bifurcated trial. The firm also secured a $25 million jury verdict in 2006 in a trial against DaimlerChrysler AG for a New York City brake reliner who lost his right lung to mesothelioma. In 2002, the firm won a $53 million verdict for a brake mechanic suffering from mesothelioma, and a $49 million verdict for a boilermaker who died from mesothelioma.

It is well-proven that even a single exposure to asbestos can have debilitating health effects. Combine that exposure with the decades-long latency period for the development of serious diseases, the children playing with this kit may ultimately face mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis as adults.

If your health and financial well-being have been threatened by asbestos, lawyers at Weitz & Luxenberg can help you. Retain us as your attorney or contact us to discuss your concerns by filling out the brief questions below.