New York’s attorney general took legal action Thursday against a group of major chemical and agricultural companies, claiming they deliberately sold dangerous so-called forever chemicals that ended up in everyday products ranging from cosmetics to non-stick cookware.
The suit names 3M, DuPont de Nemours, The Chemours Company, and Corteva, among other manufacturers. It represents the latest in a growing wave of legal battles over PFAS chemicals, which researchers have connected to a higher risk of certain cancers and developmental problems in children.
New York Attorney General Letitia James made clear where she stands: “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.”
The case was filed in state court in Albany and demands that the companies help pay for environmental cleanup across New York and provide consumers with proper warnings about their products. The lawsuit contends that, in certain instances, the companies already knew the chemicals were toxic or capable of causing environmental harm.
Representatives for DuPont, 3M, Corteva, and Chemours had not responded to requests for comment as of Thursday.
This isn’t the first time these companies have faced financial consequences over PFAS. Last year, DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva reached an agreement to pay New Jersey as much as $2 billion to resolve environmental claims tied to the same class of chemicals.
PFAS — short for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a broad category of man-made chemicals that have been in use for decades and have gradually worked their way into the air, water, and soil across the country.
These chemicals were once considered highly valuable. They made firefighting foam more effective at smothering flames and helped clothing repel water, among countless other applications. The problem is that they don’t break down naturally, meaning they linger in the environment indefinitely and accumulate to harmful levels over time.
