California suing 3M Co., DuPont de Nemours Inc. and different chemical firms over water contamination

It’s the most recent salvo by cities and states that through the years have sued greater than a dozen producers and sellers merchandise similar to firefighting foam utilized by the navy and first responders that comprise sure per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemical substances, collectively generally known as PFAS. 

California Legal professional Basic Rob Bonta on Thursday introduced the swimsuit, which alleges the businesses knew or ought to have recognized the poisonous impression of PFAS and hid their “pernicious” results on the surroundings and public well being. 

“It is a very distinctive case in that it’s statewide, the first-of-its-kind, after all, within the largest state within the nation, the fourth-largest financial system on the planet, and seeks statewide aid,” the Democrat stated at a press convention. “No different case of this nature exists in america of America.”

The swimsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court docket towards 18 firms seeks damages and statewide remedy and destruction of PFAS, together with in consuming water and irrigation techniques. Bonta estimated damages to be within the tons of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.

DuPont “was established as a brand new multi-industrial specialty merchandise firm” in 2019 that has by no means manufactured PFOA, PFOS or firefighting foam, an organization spokesperson stated.

“Whereas we don’t touch upon pending litigation, we consider these complaints are with out benefit, and the most recent instance of DuPont de Nemours being improperly named in litigation,” the spokesperson stated. “We sit up for vigorously defending our document of security, well being and environmental stewardship.”

3M stated in a press release that it “acted responsibly in reference to merchandise containing PFAS and can defend its document of environmental stewardship.”

3M faces greater than 2,000 lawsuits by people, water authorities, states and cities suing for contamination allegedly from PFAS chemical substances that might price it $30 billion, together with remediation prices, in response to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Holly Froum.

Wisconsin and North Carolina are amongst states which have sued 3M, DuPont and others over PFAS contamination associated to particular water websites or merchandise.

Almost 146 public water techniques serving 16 million Californians and aquifers offering hundreds of thousands of residents with water have been discovered to have PFAS, in response to a press release from Bonta’s workplace. The lawsuit stems from a years-long probe which discovered that PFAS producers knowingly flouted shopper and environmental safety legal guidelines, the workplace stated.

“On account of a decades-long marketing campaign of deception, PFAS are in our waters, our clothes, our homes, and even our our bodies, Bonta stated within the assertion. “The injury attributable to 3M, DuPont, and different producers of PFAS is nothing in need of staggering, and with out drastic motion, California might be coping with the harms of those poisonous chemical substances for generations.”

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