Toxic Torts

Wedgefield Community - Has your property value been affected? Please call us to discuss.

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QUESTIONNAIRE: Wedgefield Community
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The general rule is that "[a] person whose property is taken, damaged, or destroyed by the negligent or wrongful act or omission of another is entitled to compensation for the damage sustained in such a sum as will restore him as nearly as possible to his former position [T]he proper measure of damages for permanent injury to real property is the lesser of the decline in market value and the cost of restoration. In cases of environmental contamination, plaintiffs can recover "damages for diminution in the fair market value of their real property allegedly caused by contamination from hazardous substances."

Trihalomethanes (TTHM) are a group of organic chemicals formed in water when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter such as humic acids. Humic acids are present in all natural water used as sources of drinking water. TTHM are present in virtually all chlorinated water supplies. Total TTHM are not a single chemical but a class of compounds that includes:

Chloroform (CHCI3)

Bromoform (CHBr3)

Dichlorobromomethane (CHCI2Br)

Dibromochloromethane (CHCIBr2)

Some scientific studies have linked TTHM to increased risk of bladder cancer and colorectal cancer. Beyond the cancer and reproduction concerns, some investigations have found that chlorination by-products may be linked to heart, lung, kidney, liver and central nervous system damage. Other studies have linked TTHM to reproductive problems, including miscarriage. A California study found a miscarriage rate of 15.7% for women who drank five (5) or more glasses of cold water containing more than 75 ppb TTHM, compared to a miscarriage rate of 9.5% for women with a low TTHM exposure. Exposure to TTHM are not limited only to the water that you drink. An article in the Washington Post Health section on March 12, 2002 stated that one study showed that a 10 minute shower produced more absorption to TTHM through the skin than drinking 5 glasses of water. When taken in total, the cancer evidence is probably the strongest among these possible health risks.

For the reasons addressed above, total TTHM in public water supplies are limited to 0.08 parts per million (80 parts per billion). The notice published and distributed to the Wedgefield community by Wedgefield Utilities, Inc. on June 1, 2005 states that “for the nine-month period ending in March 2005, the rolling average for TTHMs was 106 ppb...” clearly exceeding the acceptable 80 parts per billion limit.

Below are internet sources to find general information about drinking water quality:

www.wedgefieldwater.com
(Law firm of Overchuck, Byron & Overchuck)

www.epa.gov

www.dep.state.fl.us/default.htm