USA | New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued some of the largest chemical and agricultural companies.
According to Attorney General James, 3M Company (3M), EIDP, Inc. (EIDP), The Chemours Company, Inc. (Chemours), Corteva, Inc. (Corteva), and DuPont De Nemours, Inc. (DuPont) have contributed to decades of toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution in New York through their use in consumer products.
PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment and do not break down. Some PFAS have been associated with an increased risk of cancer, birth defects, pregnancy complications, high cholesterol, hormone issues, and a wide range of other health problems.
Attorney General James alleged that these companies manufactured, marketed, and sold PFAS that they knew to be toxic for use in consumer products. She further alleged that the companies deceived consumers and the public about their exposure to PFAS and the contamination of the environment, and failed to warn the public about the risks of PFAS in consumer goods.
She has sought a court order holding the companies liable for the environmental and public health damage they have caused, requiring them to fund cleanup efforts throughout New York, and ordering them to properly warn consumers about the risks posed by their products. The lawsuit also sought damages, restitution, and other financial penalties.
“Big companies like 3M and DuPont knowingly sold toxic products that threatened New Yorkers’ health and polluted our environment for decades. It’s time for them to pay for the damage they caused,” said Attorney General James.
“For far too long, our communities have unfairly shouldered the costs of protecting people from these toxic forever chemicals and cleaning up their contamination. I look forward to ensuring the companies responsible for PFAS pollution are held accountable.”
PFAS were first developed in the 1940s and were used in a wide variety of consumer products for their water and oil-repellent properties.
Companies such as 3M and DuPont began manufacturing and selling these chemicals for use in consumer products, including water- and stain-resistant fabric treatments, water-repellant clothing, food packaging, non-stick cookware, cosmetics, and more.
Regular use of these products releases toxic PFAS into the environment and consumers’ bodies, posing substantial environmental and health risks.
Attorney General James alleged that the companies knew early on that PFAS were toxic, persistent, and accumulated in humans, plants, and animals, yet hid this information from the public. The lawsuit also alleged the companies knew that their products caused environmental damage.
Instead, the companies continued to aggressively produce, market, and sell chemical products containing PFAS that they knew to be toxic while misleading consumers about their safety.
Even after companies phased out certain PFAS products, they failed to warn consumers about products that were still for sale or already in their homes containing these toxic chemicals. In other cases, harmful PFAS were merely replaced with similarly toxic compounds.
Attorney General James alleged that the companies violated New York laws by producing, marketing, and selling products containing chemicals they knew to be harmful to New Yorkers’ health and the environment for decades.
The companies violated New Yorkers’ rights to clean air and water by causing widespread environmental contamination. They violated New York’s consumer protection laws by deceptively marketing their products as safe when, in fact, they contained toxic chemicals. The companies also engaged in repeated and persistent fraud, illegally profiting by failing to warn New Yorkers about the health and environmental risks of their products.
Attorney General James has sought a court order holding the companies liable for the environmental and public health effects of their PFAS products and requiring them to fund cleanup efforts to remove the toxic chemicals from communities.
The lawsuit has also sought to prevent the companies from selling any products containing harmful PFAS without adequate warnings and to end any misleading advertising.
In addition, Attorney General James has sought damages, disgorgement of all illegally earned profits, restitution, and other penalties.
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