Expert Details
Fires, Explosions, Hazardous Chemicals, Chemical Burns and Toxic Exposure; Consumer and Industrial Products and Processes
ID: 108270
New York, USA
Experienced, forensic expert witness for plaintiff or defense; both Federal and State. Accepting cases including, but not limited to: fires and explosions, hazardous chemicals, chemical burns and toxic exposure. Consumer and Industrial products and processes. Nationally certified as a fire and explosion investigator (CFEI), professional chemist (CPC) and chemical engineer (CChE), with extensive credentials in both industrial and academic fields.
Consulting Chemist & Chemical Engineer:
Chemical Technology Assessment; Intellectual Property & Trade Secret Litigation; Cosmetic and Industrial
Organosilicones: surfactants/wetting agents, emulsions, foams, gels, antifoams, silane coupling agents water soluble polymers gums and resins; poly (ethylene oxide); polyethylene glycol; polyacrylamide stability of dispersions, wetting & spreading phenomena, suspensions & emulsions, clays, paint & coatings, personal care, cosmetics
Expert is a thought-leader and expert in the field of technical marketing, multi-industry technology applications including, but not limited to: applied rheology, applied surface chemistry, polymers and organosilicones.
Expert has over 35 years of industrial and academic of experience in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering. He has consulted with hundreds of corporations involved in the development, optimization, technical marketing and quality control of new and existing consumer, household, medical and industrial products. Expert is experienced in products liability, personal injury, criminal and intellectual property cases. These include, but are not limited to: consumer and household products as well as industrial products and processes. He has worked with numerous law firms and insurance companies in both plaintiff and defense cases as a consulting and testifying expert in both state and Federal courts.
His background includes: fires, explosions, accident reconstruction, hazardous chemicals, toxic exposures, chemical exposures, chemical burns, uncovering safer alternatives and training in courtroom procedures. He also has advanced training as a nationally certified fire and explosion investigator and is skilled at determining the origin and cause of fires, explosions and arson relating to flammable liquids, gases & solids as well as aerosol fires. Expert is also experienced in products liability issues and complex litigation relative to safety in design, formulation, packaging and handling, warnings and instructions and labels.
As an Adjunct Professor of chemistry for 15 years, expert trained the senior firefighters of New York City and surrounding cities in a course he designed on fire chemistry, hazardous chemicals, and fire extinguishing methods.
He is a former member of the Fire Science & Technology Educators Section of the National Fire Protection Association and a Senior Member of the National Fire Protection Association. He has taken training at the National Fire, Arson and Explosion Investigation Training Program and the National Seminar on Fire Analysis Litigation. His experience and training includes NFPA 921, the peer reviewed, accepted scientific standard of the fire protection industry. He has also taken several programs in Advanced Training in the Fire, Arson and Explosion Investigation Science & Technology Program co-sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association and the National Association of Fire Investigators.
His Professional Certifications include being a nationally certified Professional Chemist and Professional Chemical Engineer. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Forensic Examiners, a Board Certified Forensic Examiner, a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Engineering and Technology and a Nationally certified fire and explosion investigator. He is a past Executive Adviser to the American Board of Forensic Engineering and Technology. Expert is a past member of the Executive Advisory Board of the Knovel Corporation, where he was responsible for guiding selection of science and engineering book content for hundreds of corporations, the U.S. patent office and the Royal Society of Chemistry (London).
Expert's technical product litigation experience includes, but is not limited to:
Products Liability, Chemical Technology, Accident Reconstruction, Fires and Explosions, Hazardous Chemicals, Household and Industrial Products, Safety in Design and Formulation, Safer Alternatives and Safety in Packaging and Handling; Chemical Burns and Toxic Exposures; Technical Aspects of Warnings, Instructions and Labels; Personal Care and Cosmetic Products; Hair Relaxers, Hair Lightening, slips and falls, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Physical Chemistry & Material Properties, Product and Process Issues, OSHA Regulations, Codes and Standards, Intellectual Property Management, including patent analysis/infringement as well as trade secret litigation and CJ matters.
Expert has authored over 40 articles in the technical and scientific literature, including, but not limited to areas such as: Polymers for Water Treatment, Specialty Chemicals for Textiles, Detergent Polymers, Surfactants used in the Detergent Industry, Specialty Chemicals for Textiles and a Review of the Non-Wovens Industry. He has also written articles on applied rheology, mathematical characterization of shear thinning and other types of rheological behavior, surface and interfacial chemistry, wetting and spreading phenomena, organosilicones, delivery systems and flame retardants.
He has published numerous technical advertising literature pieces that have had worldwide circulation. This includes most of the Union Carbide Corporation’s literature on POLYOX poly(ethylene oxide) water soluble polymers and rheological literature for Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, a major manufacturer of rheological testing equipment.
Expert has participated in a number of expert brainstorming panels. Recently he was voted as the "most creative, productive, and innovative member" of a team of over 25 nationally selected entrepreneurs who had contributed to their individual fields. Expert Witness Expert's expertise in forensic science and technical product litigation encompasses household and industrial products as well as safety in design, formulation, packaging, and handling. He has been involved in over 250 product liability and patent depositions. Expert has been Moderator for numerous technical conference symposium sessions on New Developments in Natural Ingredients and Products at HBA 2003 and at the Personal Care Ingredients and Technology Conference at HBA 2004 (New Developments in Skin Care & Exciting New Developments). In the latter symposium he moderated sessions on New Product Development, New Developments in Personal Care, New Developments in Skin Care and Exciting new Developments. Expert was Moderator for the technical session on High Performance Ingredients at the PCITX Conference in April 2005. Expert is Session Leader for the Master Class: New Developments in Delivery System at the HBA technical conference in September 2006. Expert has consulted on the use of hydrogels for improving the lubricity of surgical gloves. His work with a major detergent manufacturer culminated in the introduction of a detergent product with significantly improved anti-redeposition properties. Expert has had experience in the development of a wide range of novel lubricant applications. These include, for example, development of the lubricating strip used in razors, aqueous based lubricants for use at the clay/ steel interface during the manufacture of bricks, molybdenum disulfide lubricants in water-soluble poly (ethylene oxide) films and drag reduction in aqueous media. He is also familiar with the application of high molecular weight polymers for the enhancement of aqueous- based cutting fluids. Expert is experienced with depositions and court appearances. He is able to explain complex technical issues in simple terms. He has experience uncovering safer alternatives and the preparation of expert reports.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1966 | Degree: MS | Subject: Chemical Engineering | Institution: Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn |
| Year: 1964 | Degree: BS | Subject: Chemical Engineering | Institution: Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 1996 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Principal | Department: |
Responsibilities:Work includes, but is not limited to, the application of fundamental polymer and surface chemistry principles to a wide variety of market development & technological issues associated with the Specialty Chemicals & Allied Industries. Conducts corporate training in mind map technology, runs brainstorming sessions, does technical marketing, customized technology and market research, technology transfer and technical writing. Expert is Chief Scientific Advisor and responsible for design and organization of all technical conference programs. Expert is also the Designer and Organizer of company's International Safety & Regulatory Summit Conference Programs. He serves as expert witness in chemistry and chemical engineering technology and their application to consumer and industrial products relative to product development, safety and intellectual property issues.Provides forensic litigation consulting services to plaintiff/ defense attorneys for federal and state cases on fires, explosions, hazardous materials, toxic exposure, chemical burns, cosmetics. Provides chemical and chemical engineering services to specialty chemical and cosmetic industry. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1967 to 1992 | Employer: Union Carbide Corporation | Title: Development Specialist | Department: |
Responsibilities:Provided technical support and problem solving for for POLYOX Water Soluble Resin: poly (ethylene oxide).Managed a one-year safety program for 60 scientists and engineers. Trained 24 instructors who ran monthly safety awareness seminars on handling hazardous chemicals and equipment. Responsible for site laboratory facility safety issues. Prepared Material Safety Data Sheets and technical literature describing chemical products and hazards. Set up a computer-generated MSDS for product formulations containing multiple hazardous chemical components. Consultant on “Rapid Water” fire extinguishing system used by New York City Fire Department. Responsible for chemical/ equipment safety aspects of laboratory facilities including review of Material Safety Data Sheets. Responsible for safety protection in loud noise, taconite dust environments at temperatures from –30 degrees F. Set up and supervised thermoplastic polymer processing laboratory and insured safe operation. Developed poly (acrylamide) and poly (ethylene oxide) flocculants and coagulants for the separation of suspended particulates in process wastes associated with industrial wastewater treatment. Conducted extensive field and lab trial development programs for coagulants and flocculants in phosphate mining waste reclamation and coal wastes. Developed taconite ore binders for use in iron ore pelletizing processes. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1970 to 1984 | Employer: Westchester Community College | Title: Adjunct Professor | Department: Chemistry Dept. |
Responsibilities:Designed and taught a fire science, fire chemistry, chemical hazard, and toxicology courses. Instructed senior professional firefighters of New York City and surrounding cities in hazardous chemical technology of flammable, toxic and explosive chemicals. Taught physics and chemistry of modern fire extinguishing methods including: AF-3 aqueous film forming foam, low and high expansion foam; Halon and dry powder agents.Developed five credit Scientific Fire Fighting course and trained senior fire fighters from New York City as well as surrounding cities. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1973 to 1979 | Employer: Union Carbide Corporation | Title: Project Scientist | Department: |
Responsibilities:Conducted research on fuel combustion and developed additives for increasing fuel combustion efficiency. Consulted on effect of silicone surfactants as flame-retardants for polyurethane foam. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1966 to 1973 | Employer: Union Carbide Corporation | Title: Research Engineer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Developed aqueous film-forming fire-fighting foam widely used by military and civilians for airplane crash fires. Conducted applied research in silicone surface-active agents.Managed laboratory and field operations devoted to development of numerous novel organosilicone products. Developed fire fighting foams now used globally by military and civilian use to extinguish plane and auto fires. Responsible for global technical services for numerous Polyox (poly-ethylene oxide) resins and their applications. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2014 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Editor-In-Chief | Department: |
Responsibilities:Identifies, locates and assesses top global cosmetic scientists for the purpose of writing and editing their articles. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2002 to 2005 | Employer: Harry’s Cosmeticology | Title: Editor-In-Chief | Department: Cosmeticology |
Responsibilities:Selected over 150 authors who contributed to the Harry's Cosmeticology Trilogy, 9th edPublished in 2015. Over 2,600 pages in three volumes, eight focus books and fully searchable mobile device eBook. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2006 to 2012 | Employer: HBA Global Expo | Title: Chief Scientific Adviser & Director | Department: Technical Programming and Regulatory Affairs Programming |
Responsibilities:Identified and enrolled about 100 global speakers each year to present scientific papers.Edited abstracts, moderated numerous sessions, brought in about 1,000 attendees each year. |
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International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: to Present | Country / Region: | Summary: Expert has experience consulting with major companies in Europe, including Belgium, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. He has many years of experience interacting and providing technical training to sales, marketing, and advertising groups. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM) Committees: D-1 Paint & Related Coatings, Materials & Applications D-3 Gaseous Fuels D-12 Soaps & other Detergents D-13 Textiles D-14 Adhesives D-26 Halogenated Organic Solvent & Fire Extinguishing Agents E-5 Fire Standards E-15 Industrial Chemicals E-27 Hazard Potential of Chemicals E-30 Forensic Sciences E-34 Occupational Health & Safety E-35 Pesticides E-48 Biotechnology E-51 Environmental Risk Management F-15 Consumer Products F-20 Hazardous Substances & Oil Spill Response |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| FACFE: Fellow: American College of Forensic Examiners CChem, FRSC Chartered Chemist and Fellow: Royal Society of Chemistry (London) FAIC Fellow: American Institute of Chemists CPC, CChE Certified Professional Chemist, Certified Professional Chemical Engineer- National Certification Commission in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering CFEI: Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator (Advanced Training); National Association of Fire Investigators DABFE: Diplomate: American Board of Forensic Examiners DABFET: Diplomate: American Board of Forensic Engineering & Technology Certifications, Memberships, and Professional Litigation Training Expert is Senior Member of the National Fire Protection Association and a former member of its Fire Science & Technology Educators Section. He has taken training at the National Fire, Arson and Explosion Investigation Training Program and the National Seminar on Fire Analysis Litigation. His experience and training includes NFPA 921, the peer reviewed, accepted scientific standard of the fire protection industry. He has also taken several programs in Advanced Training in the Fire, Arson and Explosion Investigation Science & Technology Program co-sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association and the National Association of Fire Investigators (2005, 2011, 2016). Expert is a voting member of several Standards-Making Committees of the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM). These committees include: halogenated organic solvents, fire- extinguishing agents, fire standards, industrial chemicals, and hazard potential of chemicals. He also serves on several other ASTM committees including: forensic sciences, occupational health and safety, consumer products, hazardous substances, and industrial chemicals. His technical background also includes extensive experience in the preparation and analysis of material safety data sheets. Expert is a past Executive Adviser to the American Board of Forensic Engineering and Technology and a past member of the Executive Advisory Board of the Knovel Corporation. In the latter role, he was responsible for guiding selection of science and engineering book content for hundreds of corporations, the U.S. patent office and the Royal Society of Chemistry (London). He was selected as a Vaaler Awards judge by Chemical Processing Magazine. The awards competition honors products that improved operations or lowered costs for the chemical processing industry. |
| Professional Appointments |
|---|
| Peer Reviewer: Professional Journals Journal of Chemical Education Journal of Cosmetic Science, Official Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists The Chemist Journal of Testing and Evaluation (American Society of Testing Materials-ASTM) Cosmetics & Toiletries Journal of Controlled Release Society |
| Medical / Professional |
|---|
| Society of Cosmetic Chemists, 71st Annual Scientific Meeting & Technology Showcase In-Cosmetics, North America #2 In-Cosmetics ®, North America #1 HAPPI Anti-Aging Conference, Hyatt Regency HAPPI Anti-Aging Conference Antioxidant Symposium, Society of Cosmetic Chemists 20th Anniversary Technical Conference United Business Media (HBA Global Expo and Conference New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists Rheology Symposium Second Annual Technology Transfer Conference, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists Suppliers Day “Cosmeceutical Symposium” and “Delivery Systems for Active Ingredients” “Cosmetic Technology Transfer Conference”, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists “Colloids and Surfaces, Nanoparticles, and Green Technology 2009 “Global Perspectives on Environmental Risk” Skin Science for the Cosmetic Chemist (New York Society of Cosmetic Chemistry) Conference on Applied Hair Science |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Expert has over 35 years of industrial and academic of experience in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering. He has consulted for numerous national and international corporations involved in the development, optimization, technical marketing and quality control of new and existing products. These include, but are not limited to: consumer, household, cosmetic, medical- chemical as well as industrial products and processes. He is experienced in products liability, personal injury, intellectual property & criminal cases. He has worked with numerous law firms and insurance companies in both plaintiff and defense cases (about 50/ 50) as a consulting and testifying expert in both state and federal courts. Expert's technical product litigation experience includes, but is not limited to: products liability and personal injury matters. These include chemical and chemical engineering science & technology, household and industrial products and processes, safety in product, process and packaging design & formulation, and safety in packaging and handling. His experience also includes: personal care & cosmetic products, hair relaxers, hair lightening, physical chemistry & hazardous material properties, codes & standards, OSHA regulations, patent analysis/ infringement, and both trade secret litigation and CJ matters. Expert's background includes: fires, explosions, accident reconstruction, hazardous chemicals, toxic exposures, chemical exposures, chemical burns and uncovering safer alternatives. He has also had training in courtroom procedures and advanced training as a nationally certified fire and explosion investigator. He is skilled at determining the origin and cause of fires and explosions relating to flammable materials including: liquids, gases & solids. His experience also includes technical aspects of warnings, instructions and labels. |
| Training / Seminars |
|---|
| Academic Experience: As an Adjunct Professor of chemistry for 15 years. Expert designed and taught a fire science, fire chemistry, chemical hazard, and toxicology course. He trained the senior professional firefighters of New York City and surrounding areas in the first of its kind, five credit course on handling hazardous flammable, toxic and explosive chemicals based on the fundamental principles of fire science and fire chemistry. Expert led in the development of the firefighting foam now used globally for extinguishable of both military and commercial fires from plane and automobile crashes (AFF). |
| Other Relevant Experience |
|---|
| Expert serves as Editor-in-Chief for a European magazine and is Editor-in-Chief of the 2,600 page book on the cosmetic industry. He served for six years as Chief Scientific Adviser & Director for the largest health and beauty conference & expo in the United States. He has been the Chairman and Organizer of the Annual HBA Global Expo Safety, Regulatory and Certification Summit since 2006- a series of major international technical conferences covering the impact of global regulations on the personal care and cosmetic industry. Expert also serves as Book Series Editor for a personal care and cosmetic technology series. He is a member of the Center for Dermal Research at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Expert is a past Vice President of the Association of Consulting Chemists and Chemical Engineers and on its Executive Board of Directors. He is a voting member of several Standards-Making Committees of the American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM). These committees include: halogenated organic solvents, fire- extinguishing agents, fire standards, industrial chemicals, and hazard potential of chemicals. He also serves on several other ASTM committees including: forensic sciences, occupational health and safety, consumer products, hazardous substances, and industrial chemicals. He has extensive experience in the preparation and analysis of material safety data sheets, as well as the filing of regulatory applications for the Environmental Protection Agency. |
Fields of Expertise
chemical fire, fire, personal injury investigation, product liability, personal injury, trade secret misappropriation, hazardous material, chemical intellectual property, oil fire, fuel fire, food viscosity measurement, competitive intelligence, viscosity index, soluble paper, slurry fluid flow, low shear rate viscosity, polysorbate, water-soluble packaging film, paint binder, dilatant material, shear thickening, polypropylene oxide, viscous liquid, poloxamer, extensional viscosity, falling-sphere viscometer, Ostwald viscometer, slurry mixing, capillary rheometer, slurry viscosity, plastic flow, terminal velocity, intellectual property, hydrophilic foam, cosmetic stability, paint stability, fire-resistant plastic, viscous fluid, viscous fluid flow, alcohol solubility, water solubility, viscosity measurement, fire-resistant coating material, silicone oil, alcohol compound, patent law, viscometer, market research, legal patenting, floc, gel rheological measurement, liquid rheological measurement, foam material, viscosity, viscoelasticity, technical writing, soluble polymer, slurry, polymer chemistry, polyethylene, polyelectrolyte, industrial chemical, hydrogel, food rheology, defoaming, fire-resistant material, dispersion technology, clay processing