Bridging the Gap Between Science and the Law

This article was co-authored by Steve J. Bannister, PhD, of Hightower Pharmaceutical Services. He has over thirty years of experience applying the fundamentals of physical and analytical chemistry to development of drug-delivery devices. His projects have included the development of a standardized e-cigarette for use in NIH-sponsored clinical studies.  Electronic nicotine-delivery systems (ENDS or e-cigarettes)

On September 9-11, Dr. Len van Zyl of ToxicoGenomica will be speaking at Perrin Conferences’ National Asbestos Litigation Conference at the  Fairmont San Francisco Hotel, San Francisco, CA. This marks the tenth anniversary of the three-day conference which provides attendees with a deeper understanding of the trends currently driving asbestos litigation and the impact these

E-Cigarette Expert Witness Teams Will be Key as Litigation Increases E-cigarettes and other reduced risk nicotine products (such as smokeless tobacco, heated tobacco, and tobacco-free nicotine products) have generated enormous interest across a spectrum of stakeholders, including smokers who have reportedly quit smoking using one or more of these new (potentially) reduced risk products. Regulators

In a recently published article, Pizzurro and colleagues report several important interspecies differences in perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) toxicokinetics. These data represent some of the first evidence for variation in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of PFAS across different species. For PFAS defendants, this paper provides support that pharmacokinetics must be taken into consideration when

This post was co-authored with Tova Werblowsky, Ph.D., a computational physical chemist and associate professor of chemistry at Touro College What are PFAS? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a diverse group of chemical compounds that resist degradation in the environment. Because PFAS are impervious to water and heat, these compounds have been used in

On May 6, 2019, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that several sunscreens used under maximal conditions resulted in plasma concentrations of active ingredients that exceeded the threshold limit established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The fact that an ingredient is absorbed through the skin and

Manufacturers, retailers, and distributors of e-cigarettes are likely to be defending themselves in against a variety of claims involving these products. The e-cigarette litigation landscape is evolving quickly with several high-profile lawsuits or investigations launched over the past several months by Attorneys General of Massachusetts, Connecticut and North Carolina, a State Prosecutor in an Illinois

Recently, both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate held separate legislative hearings to address potential health and environmental impacts of pre-/polyfluorinated substances (PFAS). On May 15, 2019, the House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change held a hearing to consider a series of bills aimed at reducing potential environmental and health risks associated with

The causal relationship between smoking and lung cancer is one of the strongest and most well established in all the health sciences. Asbestos defense attorneys have therefore been eager to determine if there is a causal relationship between smoking and mesothelioma. If such a relationship were identified, in certain cases with the right case-specific facts,

Poly- and per-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthesized chemicals that have been used for more than 50 years across many types of industries. For instance, PFAS compounds are widely used in non-stick products (e.g., Teflon), water- and/or stain-proof fabrics (e.g., clothing, furniture), food contact materials (e.g., certain types of cardboard), firefighting foams,