California Attorney General Rob Bonta is suing several major chemical companies citing permanent damage to public health and the environment.
The lawsuit targets manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—or PFAS. DuPont and 3M Company are among those named in the lawsuit filed in the state Superior Court in Alameda Nov. 10.
The attorney general’s office claims the company’s so-called “forever chemicals” have contaminated rivers, streams, wildlife, and soil throughout the state. His office estimates about 98 percent of Californians have measurable amounts of the chemicals in their bloodstreams.
“PFAS are as ubiquitous in CA as they are harmful,” Bonta wrote Nov. 10 on Twitter. “We’re suing for damages and demanding action to minimize the impacts to human health and the environment.”
The chemicals are most often used in firefighting foams, fast food packaging, waxes, cleaning products, microwave popcorn, non-stick pots and pans, pesticides, water-resistant clothing, and stain-resistant furniture, among other everyday items.
One of the substances under scrutiny—called perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)—was made exclusively by 3M since the 1940s, and was used in firefighting foams by the military, airports, refineries, and fire departments before it was phased out in the early 2000s, according to Bonta.
A spokesman for 3M told The Epoch Times in an email, “3M acted responsibly in connection with products containing PFAS and will defend its record of environmental stewardship.”
The lawsuit names two DuPont companies, E.I. DuPont De Nemours and DuPont De Nemours, Inc.
A spokesman for the latter told The Epoch Times the company has never manufactured firefighting foam, or two other substances named in the suit.
“While we don’t comment on pending litigation, we believe these complaints are without merit, and the latest example of DuPont de Nemours being improperly named in litigation. We look forward to vigorously defending our record of safety, health and environmental stewardship,” DuPont de Nemours Spokesman Daniel Turner said in an email.
