Conneticut targets 3M, DuPont and others over PFAS pollution in water
HOW WILL 3M PAY FOR THIS 🤔?
Connecticut filed two lawsuits Thursday accusing chemical makers of covering up for decades the dangers of PFAS, a class of toxic and ubiquitous “forever” chemicals that persist in the environment and are widely detected in private wells and public water systems.
With litigation filed in Hartford Superior Court, Connecticut joins the growing list of plaintiffs suing major chemical makers over a slowly unfolding fiscal, environmental and public health crisis. A handful of manufacturers agreed to $12 billion in settlements in 2023, and the industry is bracing for more.
“These companies knew the truth decades ago, and they buried the evidence and lied to all of us. Because of that, we are dealing with widespread contamination of drinking water and natural resources across Connecticut,” Attorney General William Tong said.
The two lawsuits are organized by the two markets for products with PFAS chemicals: the aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF, used in firefighting; and an extraordinarily wide range of consumer products, including food packaging, cookware, carpeting, upholstery, clothing, and cosmetics.
“What really hits home for me is that there’s likely and potentially PFAS in the microwave popcorn I ate last night or in the nonstick pots and pans that I used to fry eggs on Sunday morning,” Tong said. The chemicals likely are detectable in the blood of anyone tested, he said.
Accompanied by environmental and public health officials, Tong announced the litigation at the Connecticut Fire Training Academy in Windsor Locks, not far from two major AFFF deployments at Bradley International Airport that sent PFAS streaming into the Farmington River.
But the venue primarily was chosen to reflect the special danger PFAS poses to firefighters. In addition to its presence in the AFFF used to suppress fires, the chemical also is used in the turnout gear that protects firefighters. Among PFAS’ useful properties are a resistance to heat, water, grease and stains.
Peter Brown, the state president of the largest union representing firefighters, said he and every firefighter were presented on their first day with neatly folded turnout gear — the boots, pants, coat and helmet they were told will be the most important piece of equipment they ever will use.
“What they never said was that in order to get that level of protection, the manufacturers decided it was necessary to saturate that gear with PFAS chemicals, meaning each and every time we put it on and went out the door, we’re exposing ourselves to deadly carcinogens,” Brown said.
Occupational cancers are now the biggest cause of death in firefighting, Brown said.
https://ctmirror.org/2024/01/25/ct-3m-dupont-pfas-water-contamination/