Man Develops Cancer From Radon Exposure at Work

This case takes place in New York and involves a facilities maintenance manager who was diagnosed with lung cancer and died after exposure to toxic levels of radon gases in the basement office in which he worked. The decedent was in charge of all facilities management activities at a community college campus. The building in which the decedent’s office was housed was scheduled for demolition in the final year of his employment at the college, due in part to the impermissible and lethal levels of radon present in the building for decades. The levels of radon were known by the Defendant for years before the death of the decedent. The decedent was an active, healthy, non-smoker with an unremarkable medical history who had worked in the same basement office for nearly 10 years before being diagnosed with cancer.

Question(s) For Expert Witness

1.) Do you routinely treat patients similar to the one described in the case? Please explain.

2.) Are you able to opine on the effects of long-term exposure to radon?

3.) Have you ever served as an expert witness on a case similar to the one described above? If so, please explain.

Expert Witness Response E-016974

I am an expert in health issues related to Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). I have seen countless such patients clinically and have served as a medical expert in IAQ-related legal cases. I can appropriately interpret radon testing results as well clinical testing results in and apply such results to clinical scenarios. I have given presentations to academic, unions and community groups on the IAQ health effects including radon. I teach a graduate course on Environmental Health which includes curriculum on radon. Furthermore, I train medical residents and toxicology fellows in IAQ issues including radon. More broadly, my clinical expertise is in evaluating potential causal links between hazardous exposures and health outcomes. I have written expert reports for approximately 70 cases--some focused on individual exposure while others have been class actions.