Damage to your home or health

When the place you live made you sick

Exposure cases rarely start with one dramatic moment. A child's routine blood test shows lead. A cough that won't go away is linked to mold behind the walls. A letter says the town's water carried chemicals for longer than anyone admitted. A diagnosis comes years after work around old insulation.

If you think something in your home, water, air or workplace made your family sick, the first steps are about health and records. The legal questions come right behind.

Tell us what happened

Health first, and tell your doctor about the exposure

Tell your doctor what you think you were exposed to, where and for how long, and ask whether testing makes sense. For lead in a child, your local health department can often help find the source. Keep copies of every test result and diagnosis: they guide your care, and they're the backbone of any claim.

Showing what caused the illness

The hardest part of most exposure cases is proving the link. That means answering two questions: can this substance cause this kind of illness, and did it cause yours, given how much you were exposed to and for how long. Both normally need scientists and doctors to give expert opinions.

That's why test results from the time matter so much. A water sample, a lead inspection or an air test taken while the problem existed can carry weight that nothing gathered later can replace.

Where exposure often comes from

People ask us about many sources. Some of the most common:

Lead from old paint, dust or pipes, especially in older housing.
Mold from leaks a landlord or builder failed to fix.
Asbestos in older building materials and some workplaces.
Contaminated drinking water, from industrial chemicals such as PFAS (a group sometimes called forever chemicals because they break down so slowly) or fuel from leaking tanks.
Chemical releases or pollution from a nearby plant, dump or site.

When a whole neighborhood is affected

Some exposures reach many households at once, and those cases are sometimes grouped together. A government cleanup, such as the federal Superfund program for badly contaminated sites, deals with the land and water. It doesn't by itself pay people for their illnesses, which is a separate question.

What helps to have ready

Any test results for your home, water, soil or air, and any notices from a water supplier, landlord or agency.
Medical records or a list of doctors, with any diagnosis and when it was made.
Where you lived, worked or went to school while exposed, and for how long.
Dated photos of mold, leaks, peeling paint or other conditions.
Your lease and any written complaints to the landlord, with the replies.
Anything pointing to the source, such as a nearby plant, dump, fuel tank or construction site.

What to have ready before you talk to a lawyer
A short, practical list you can use for any kind of problem.

Where we fit in

A lawyer at our firm looks at your case. If we take it and another firm is better placed to lead it day to day, we choose that firm from firms we have vetted for their expertise and track record, and we stay responsible for your case with them.

Questions people ask

The illness showed up years later. Is it too late?

Not necessarily. Many states start the clock for exposure cases when you discovered the illness, or should reasonably have discovered it and its cause, rather than when the exposure happened. The rules vary, so ask soon rather than assume.

My landlord says the mold is my fault. What should I do?

Keep a record of every leak, complaint and reply, in writing where you can, and photograph the conditions. In many places landlords must keep homes safe to live in, and a local housing agency may inspect.

Should we move out?

Your family's health comes first, and the decision is yours. If you leave, keep records of the conditions and the costs, and get advice before you stop paying rent, because that has consequences of its own.

Hurt at work
If the exposure happened at work, workers' compensation may apply.
Dangerous or defective products
If the exposure came from a household or consumer product rather than a place.

More about damage to your home or health

This page explains things in general terms. It is not legal advice about your situation, and the law differs from state to state.