LAW 280

Toxic Harms

Law School

Recommended for route(s):

[ Litigation ] Environmental Law: Pollution/Harms to Public Health

General course Description:

This seminar will examine the concerns arising from exposure to toxic substances from a variety of perspectives. A principal focus will be tort liability, and a central theme in the course will be whether tort law is an effective method of compensating victims of toxic exposure and controlling the distribution and/or emission of toxic substances. In order to assess the efficacy of tort, it is essential to compare the liability system with alternatives such as restructured "public law" litigation, administrative compensation schemes, and regulatory control strategies. Moreover, it seems equally important that these options be grounded in a concrete understanding of the major current problem areas. To accomplish these aims, the course will focus on a number of specific present concerns, including tobacco, asbestos, anti-inflammatory drugs, and natural gas extraction (fracking). In each instance, we will look at the nature of the public health problem as well as ensuing tort litigation and regulatory activity. In addition to examining these distinctive problem areas, we will look at broader, cross-cutting institutional reform proposals that have received recent attention.

Course Style: A Substantive course teaches the law, theory, and policy in a particular area of law

Course Frequency: Varied, check w/ registrar

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