(The Center Square) — New York Attorney General Letitia James is taking several major U.S. chemical companies to court, accusing them of polluting the state for years with so-called "forever" chemicals.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday in state Supreme Court in Albany, James alleges that 3M, Dupont, Chemors and other companies made, sold and disposed of products in New York containing PFAS long after they determined the chemical compounds were toxic, "exposing people to PFAS and releasing PFAS into New York’s environment."
"As a result of defendants’ conduct, PFAS ... are in the water we drink, the soil that sustains our crops, the fish we catch, and the air we breathe," James wrote on the 74-page complaint.
Jame's lawsuit claims contamination from consumer products containing PFAS has also "inflicted long-lasting harm" on the state's natural resources, including groundwater, surface water, sediments, and soils, while fish and wildlife have all been adversely impacted.
Despite the state’s costly and "extensive" efforts to clean it up, "some of these harms cannot be remedied in the near term," James claimed.
"Instead, these contaminants remain widespread in New York’s environment, and generations of New Yorkers will be deprived of the full benefit of their natural resources," the lawsuit claims.
Spokespersons for companies named in the lawsuit — DuPont, 3M, Corteva and Chemours — didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
PFAS compounds, used to make products from rain coats to upholstery, have been dubbed “forever chemicals” because they accumulate in the human body and can take thousands of years to degrade.
Research has found potential links to illnesses such as kidney cancer and high cholesterol, as well as complications in pregnancies.
Dozens of states are weighing proposals to eliminate PFAS in food packaging, firefighting foam and other products, in addition to setting limits on the amount of contaminants found in water.
James' legal challenge, which is among dozens of other lawsuits targeting PFAS manufacturers, asks a state judge to issue a court order requiring the companies to fund cleanup efforts, and to properly warn consumers about the risks. She is also seeking damages, restitution and other penalties.
Last year, DuPont and other companies named in the New York lawsuit agreed to pay New Jersey up to $2 billion to settle environmental claims stemming from PFAS contamination.
Earlier this year, Minnesota sued 3M, claiming the company's manufacturing plant contaminated groundwater in the Mississippi River over several decades.
"For far too long, our communities have unfairly shouldered the costs of protecting people from these toxic forever chemicals and cleaning up their contamination," James said in a statement. "I look forward to ensuring the companies responsible for PFAS pollution are held accountable."
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