Cancer, Chemical Exposure, and Your Right to Seek Accountability
Some of what we do at High & Younes is deeply personal. For partner Frank Younes, this is one of those areas — because he isn’t only an attorney, he’s a cancer survivor.
After going through his own cancer journey, Frank set out to understand a question that troubles a lot of people: why are so many cancers showing up in younger people than ever before? That search led him to the growing attention around environmental contamination and chemical exposure — in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the products we use, the clothes we wear, and the processed foods we eat.
“Almost everything causes cancer” — and why that isn’t a good enough answer
When Frank raised the question with his own oncologist, the response was one many patients hear: nearly everything causes cancer. But Frank’s point is that this familiar answer glosses over something important. Safety standards tend to measure exposures one at a time, in isolation. What they often fail to capture is the cumulative effect — the reality that a person is exposed to countless chemicals every day, from many sources at once, over a lifetime. Each may be deemed “safe” on its own, but that is a very different thing from being safe in combination.
That gap — between how exposure is measured and how exposure actually happens — is part of what convinced Frank that some of these cancers aren’t simply bad luck, and that, in some cases, someone may bear legal responsibility.
When a cancer diagnosis may also be a legal claim
In Frank’s view, many environmental and product-related cancers are actionable — meaning that where a causal connection can be established, the people harmed may be entitled to compensation. Establishing that connection is the key, and it’s exactly the kind of question Frank is willing to sit down and work through with anyone who has been diagnosed.
Depending on the source of the exposure, a claim might take one of several forms:
- A workers’ compensation claim, where the exposure happened on the job.
- A FELA action — the federal remedy available to railroad workers injured through their employment which exposes them to many chemicals and environmental contaminants.
- A product liability action, where a defective or dangerous product caused the exposure.
Cancers that can be relevant to these kinds of claims include: mesothelioma, lung cancer, liver cancer, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, laryngeal cancer, pharyngeal cancer, stomach cancer, non-hodgkins lymphoma, multiple myeloma, kidney, thyroid, testicular, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancers — among others. Whether any individual diagnosis supports a claim depends on the specific facts: the type of cancer, the nature and source of the exposure, the geographic location, career and employment history, and what the evidence shows about the link between them.
Why it matters
Frank’s conviction is straightforward: for the companies and industries that contribute to these illnesses, financial consequences are often the only thing that actually forces change. Holding a responsible party accountable isn’t only about compensation for one family — though that compensation can be life-changing. It’s also about creating the pressure that makes the next harmful exposure less likely.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed, let’s talk
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with cancer and you wonder whether an environmental or product exposure could be connected, Frank Younes is ready to walk through it with you. He’ll help you understand whether a causal connection may exist, what kind of claim could apply, and what the process looks like — and he’ll fight for you.
Consultations are free. Call or text High & Younes today at 402-933-3345.
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