Patrick Blanks v. Fluor Corporation (2014)

Citation: Patrick Blanks v. Fluor Corporation (2014)
Parent Document: Patrick Blanks v. Fluor Corporation (2014)
Jurisdiction: Missouri (state)
Effective Date: 2014-06-17
Original Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2678642/patrick-blanks-v-fluor-corporation/ ↗

Full Text

1,371 chars

fetus. Lead in a fetus can cause significant harm, including brain damage or death. In
3
  One study has shown up to a 1.2 percent brain loss in those exposed to lead levels of 5 micrograms per
deciliter or above. The children’s levels in this case were all much higher than five.
4
  Dr. George Rodgers, testifying on the children’s behalf, noted that it is broadly accepted by the scientific
community, since the early-to-mid 1970s, that lead causes IQ loss. On average, one loses one IQ point for
every three to five micrograms of lead in their blood. For example, if one has a blood level of twenty, then
it is estimated that the person has lost somewhere between four and seven IQ points. According to Dr.
Rodgers, several papers published in the last ten years estimate a higher loss – that one loses seven IQ
points in the first ten micrograms per deciliter of lead. In other words, if a child’s lead level is ten, that
child has lost seven IQ points.
5
  As recently as the mid-to-late 1980s, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and ADHD were two separate
diagnoses under the DSM – the diagnostic statistical manual, an important guidebook that sets out criteria
for diagnoses of psychological disorders. ADD had no hyperactivity; ADHD did. Now there is a single
diagnosis – ADHD, in three types: primarily inattentive, primarily hyperactive-impulsive, and combined.

Other Sections in This Document (3438)

Full Text