(Reuters) – California’s attorney general on Thursday sued 3M Co, DuPont de Nemours Inc and several other companies to recoup the “staggering” clean-up costs from toxic pollutants known as “forever chemicals.”
Attorney General Rob Bonta said the lawsuit followed a multiyear probe that found the companies marketed products containing polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) for decades despite knowing they cause cancer, developmental defects and other health problems.
The substances are known as forever chemicals because of how long they stay in the human body and environment.
They have been mass produced since the 1950s, and used in products such as firefighting foams, nonstick pans and personal care items.
Bonta said the defendants created a public nuisance and demanded they pay to clean up PFAS, which he said has been found in drinking water, rivers, lakes, wildlife and the bloodstreams of about 98% of California’s approximately 39 million people.
“The damage caused by 3M, DuPont, and other manufacturers of PFAS is nothing short of staggering, and without drastic action, California will be dealing with the harms of these toxic chemicals for generations,” Bonta said.
(Reporting by Clark Mindock, Editing by Alessandra Rafferty and Deepa Babington)
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