| Litigation Summary Dr. Thomas has provided expert witness testimony concerning health effect claims following a derailment of a tank car, spilling a high-aromatic naphtha in a river emptying into Lake Superior. The geographic pattern and maximum concentrations for specific volatile constituents along the river were used to evaluate whether symptoms and conditions of people claiming exposure are consistent with what is known about the spilled hydrocarbons. |
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He has also been an expert witness in several cases concerning the relationship of benzene with various hematological conditions and malignant cancers, and has been involved in several cases alleging neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, birth defects, or cancer due to occupational exposure to solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, industrial chemicals, pesticides and diesel exhaust. Dr. Thomas has been designated expert in several suits (involving 15,000 plaintiffs) that resulted from the rupture of four pipelines (natural gas, unleaded gasoline, diesel fuel and crude oil) during the record 1994 flood of the San Jacinto River. Depending on the time of day and location, a plaintiff's exposure may have been exposed to a constantly changing mixture of light-end petroleum hydrocarbons that volatilized from the oil slick as it moved down the river and/or combustion products formed by the subsequent river fire. Municipal and medical wastes from upstream sources also complicate the analyses in these cases. Dr. Thomas is a Guest Lecturer at the Institute of Environmental Technology on toxicology, risk assessment and associated litigation issues. A detailed list of Active and Settled Cases is available (via password) upon request.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |