Texas Lawyer Basic Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Dec. 11 towards producers 3M and DuPont for misrepresenting the well being dangers of merchandise made with perpetually chemical substances
The lawsuit alleges the businesses for many years manufactured, marketed, and bought an array of shopper merchandise containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often known as perpetually chemical substances. PFAS-containing supplies have been bought to Texas customers below model names together with Teflon. and Scotchgard.
PFAS are often called perpetually chemical substances as a result of most don’t break down naturally within the human physique. As soon as launched into the surroundings, PFAS can contaminate consuming water and different pure sources, and accumulate within the blood of people.
PFAS have been linked to inflicting most cancers and different well being issues.
“These corporations knew for many years that PFAS chemical substances might trigger severe hurt to human well being but continued to promote them as protected for family use round households and kids,” Paxton mentioned in a press launch. “Texas is taking motion to penalize these corporations and maintain them accountable for deceiving Texans into shopping for shopper merchandise with out important data.”
Related: Underwriters Wary of PFAS Amid ‘Superstorm’ of Litigation, Regulation
Texas is looking for civil penalties of as much as $10,000.00 per violation of the state’s Misleading Commerce Practices Act in addition to pre-judgment and post-judgment curiosity on all awards of restitution, damages, or civil penalties.
Texas is the most recent state to convey PFAS-related litigation towards large chemical producers.
In 2023 Ohio settled a lawsuit with DuPont and two-spin corporations for $110 million over the environmental threats from poisonous chemical substances used at a former DuPont facility in neighboring West Virginia.
Solvay Specialty Polymers USA agreed to a $330 settlement with New Jersey officers final yr over cleanup and compensation for the discharge of so-called “perpetually chemical substances” and different pollution at a plant close to West Deptford.
3M not too long ago began making payments on a multi-billion greenback settlement over claims that the corporate made or bought firefighting foams containing PFAS. The corporate is predicted to pay within the vary of $10.5 billion to $12.5 billion over the following dozen years.
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