What helps us understand your situation?
- The substance or product, if known
- Where and approximately when exposure occurred
- Your diagnosed condition and treatment
An initial inquiry is different from proving a lawsuit. Ask our team what information is needed for your situation.
Toxic tort lawsuits are claims by people who say exposure to a harmful chemical or substance made them sick. They are brought against the companies that made, sold or released the substance, and sometimes against property owners.
Common examples involve benzene and leukemia, asbestos and mesothelioma, contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, PFAS from firefighting foam, and the Roundup weedkiller. Many of these illnesses appear years after the exposure.
Whether you have a claim depends on what you were exposed to, how much and for how long, and what illness was diagnosed. Each case depends on its own facts.
Latest Toxic Tort Lawsuit Updates
November 3, 2026: 3M Agrees to $7.35 Billion AFFF Personal Injury Settlement
3M announced an agreement to resolve PFAS personal injury claims over AFFF firefighting foam, inside and outside MDL No. 2873 [1]. It commits $7.35 billion over nine years, a present value of $5.8 billion.
The deal addresses about 99% of current personal injury claims and about 115,000 to 120,000 eligible plaintiffs. 3M says the agreement is not an admission of liability, and it covers claims against 3M only.
October 30, 2026: Missouri Jury Sides with Bayer in Roundup Trial
DW, reporting with Reuters, says a Missouri jury sided unanimously with Bayer in a Roundup trial brought by three women [2]. They said they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after regularly using the weedkiller.
It was the first trial since the Supreme Court ruling. Bayer is seeking a $7.25 billion settlement of other Roundup cases and is waiting for another court ruling.
June 25, 2026: Supreme Court Rules in Durnell Roundup Case
The Supreme Court decided Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, No. 24-1068, by a 7-2 vote [3]. The Court held that FIFRA, the federal pesticide law, preempts a state-law labeling requirement that differs from the federal label.
For people with Roundup claims, DW reports the ruling means plaintiffs cannot argue the label failed to warn about cancer risk. The Court sent the case back to the lower court.
May 18, 2026: EPA Proposes Two PFAS Drinking Water Rules
The EPA announced two proposed rules on PFAS in drinking water for public comment [4]. One would keep the PFOA and PFOS limits, with an option to request two more years, to 2031, to comply.
The other would rescind the PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and Hazard Index limits. They would change the limits set in the 2024 final rule.
April 2, 2026: JPML Transfers Four Alabama Actions to AFFF MDL
The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered four Alabama water-provider actions transferred to AFFF MDL No. 2873 in the District of South Carolina [5].
The four actions, including Shelby County and City of Irondale, join the firefighting foam cases Judge Richard M. Gergel oversees. Defendant 3M Company had opposed the motions to vacate the transfer.
What Is a Toxic Tort Lawsuit?
A toxic tort is an injury claim for harm caused by a toxic substance, such as a chemical, drug, pesticide or asbestos [6]. Many of these cases are brought as product liability claims.
To recover damages, a plaintiff generally must show four things: exposure to a disease-causing substance, that the defendant is legally responsible for that exposure, an injury, and that the exposure caused the injury. Some courts also require proof that the substance can cause the illness in people generally and that it caused this person's illness.
Who May Be Affected?
People who become ill from asbestos, for example, are usually those exposed to it regularly, most often through their job. Others are exposed at home, through products, or through the water where they live:
- On the job, through benzene in chemical work, solvents and gasoline, railroad work, or silica dust.
- At home, through carbon monoxide, asbestos in older building materials that can lead to mesothelioma, mold or lead paint.
- Through drinking water, such as the Camp Lejeune water contamination or PFAS from firefighting foam.
Roundup weedkiller claims come from regular use of the product itself. Whether any one person qualifies depends on the facts and needs an individual legal review.
Reported Injuries or Damages
Asbestos is a known human carcinogen, and there is sufficient evidence that it causes mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen [7]. Symptoms can take 10 to 40 years or more to appear.
Exposure to benzene increases the risk of leukemia and other blood disorders [8].
ATSDR says drinking water exposures at Camp Lejeune from the 1950s through February 1985 likely increased the risk of cancers such as kidney cancer, multiple myeloma and leukemias, and of adverse birth outcomes [9].
EPA says exposure to some PFAS may be linked to harmful health effects [10]. Roundup plaintiffs allege the weedkiller caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which Bayer denies; these are allegations, not findings.
Recall and Regulatory Background
Toxic tort claims usually involve regulators rather than product recalls. For PFAS, EPA's May 18, 2026 drinking water proposals went to a 60-day comment period, and EPA set a hearing for July 7 [11].
Evidence to Preserve
Keep records and items that show what you were exposed to, when it happened and where:
- Medical records and diagnosis dates for every illness or injury you think the exposure caused.
- Job history and duties, including the chemicals, products or equipment you worked with.
- Product names, labels and purchase records for any chemical, pesticide, drug or consumer product involved.
- Photos of the product, its container or the place where the exposure happened.
- Water test results and utility notices, if the exposure may have come through drinking water.
- Messages with employers, manufacturers or insurers about the exposure or the illness.
- A log of when and where each exposure happened, written in your own words.
Filing Deadlines
Each state sets its own filing deadline, and in exposure cases the clock often starts later than the exposure. For injuries from a hazardous substance released into the environment, federal law starts the clock no earlier than the date you knew, or reasonably should have known, that the substance caused your illness [12].
That matters because illnesses such as mesothelioma can appear decades after the exposure. If you miss the deadline, the claim may end, so talk to a lawyer promptly about which deadline applies to you.
Potential Compensation
Categories of damages that may be claimed in a toxic tort case include medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. In a death case, the damages may also include funeral costs and loss of support.
Compensation amounts vary by case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Potential compensation depends on the facts of each claim.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Worker File a Toxic Tort Lawsuit for Exposure on the Job?
A worker may file a toxic tort lawsuit for exposure on the job. An occupational toxic injury may lead to a workers' compensation claim against the employer. The same injury may support a toxic tort case against third parties, such as chemical or equipment makers, distributors or premises owners.
What Did the Supreme Court Decide in the Durnell Case?
The Supreme Court held 7-2 that federal pesticide law preempts state labeling requirements that differ from the federal label. DW reports this means Roundup plaintiffs cannot argue the label failed to warn about cancer risk, because EPA concluded the label does not require a cancer warning.
How Many Roundup Cases Have Been Filed Against Bayer?
About 65,000 Roundup cases beyond the Missouri trial have been filed against Bayer, according to the DW and Reuters report of October 30, 2026. The plaintiffs claim the weedkiller gave them cancer.
Can Many People Join Toxic Tort Lawsuits over One Substance?
Many people can join toxic tort lawsuits over one substance when an MDL is formed. The JPML centralizes actions with common questions of fact for pretrial proceedings under 28 U.S.C. 1407, as in AFFF MDL No. 2873 before Judge Gergel.
What Does the Research Say About Roundup and Cancer?
The research on Roundup and cancer includes a 2015 finding by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans. Bayer rejects that finding as an outlier. EPA has said glyphosate is probably not carcinogenic and is reviewing its safety.
What Do the AFFF Lawsuits Allege?
The AFFF lawsuits allege that firefighting foams used at airports, military bases or certain industrial locations released PFAS into local groundwater and contaminated drinking water supplies. Those claims are allegations and not court findings. On November 3, 2026, 3M agreed to settle most personal injury claims against it without admitting liability.