The state of New York has sued some of the world's largest chemical manufacturers for allegedly exposing consumers to toxic "forever chemicals" for decades while concealing the risks and contributing to widespread environmental contamination.
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed the lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court, naming 3M (NYSE: MMM), DuPont de Nemours (NYSE: DD), Chemours (NYSE: CC), Corteva (NYSE: CTVA) and EIDP Inc (NYSE: CTA-A) as the companies that manufactured, marketed and sold products containing toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
This was despite long-standing evidence that the chemicals posed serious health and environmental dangers.
“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,” James said in a press release.
“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.”
James alleges the companies knew for decades that PFAS were toxic, persistent and capable of accumulating in humans, wildlife and the environment, yet continued selling the chemicals while misleading consumers about their safety.
PFAS are widely used in consumer products ranging from non-stick cookware and waterproof clothing to food packaging, cosmetics and fabric treatments because of their water-, grease- and stain-resistant properties.
The chemicals are often referred to as "forever chemicals" because they do not readily break down in the environment or the human body.
The lawsuit aims to force the companies to fund environmental clean-up efforts in New York and to warn consumers about their products.
Last year, DuPont, Chemours and Corteva agreed to pay New Jersey up to US$2 billion (A$2.88 billion) to settle environmental claims stemming from PFAS.
