PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Both Oregon and Washington’s attorney generals have filed lawsuits against manufacturers of “forever chemicals,” the offices announced on Wednesday.
Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals used in firefighting foam and in household products like nonstick pans, food packaging and waterproof jackets.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that PFAS can have significant negative impacts on people including decreased fertility, increased risk of cancer, interferences with hormones and adverse developmental effects in children, according to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s Office.
Rosenblum announced Wednesday that she was suing 21 companies, including 3M and DuPont, which produce aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) which she alleges are responsible for PFAS contamination in Oregon.
“We intend to prove these defendants knew for decades that PFAS and, particularly, PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam is dangerous to human health and to the environment,” said Rosenblum. “They have profited mightily from their flagrant disregard for the health and safety of Oregonians and our natural resources. Defendant’s actions have caused these toxic and persistent “forever chemicals” to contaminate our pristine state and will require significant expense to investigate, treat, and remediate. We will not let them off the hook.”
The lawsuit claims that the companies are responsible for a number of impacts across the whole state, including at Portland International Airport and Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Klamath Falls, where AFFF is commonly used.
In Washington, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that he is suing 20 companies, many of them the same as those being sued in Oregon, citing evidence that the foam has contaminated groundwater supplies in multiple Washington communities.
Blood sampling done by the Center for Disease Control also found that nearly every person tested since 1999 had PFAS in their blood.
“These corporations knew for decades about the serious risks these forever chemicals pose to human health and our environment,” Ferguson said. “Their corporate greed caused significant damage, and they need to be held accountable.”
Both Attorney General’s lawsuits are asking that the companies pay to investigate, clean, restore and monitor the damage that has been caused by the AFFF.
The Oregon lawsuit also mentions “ABC Corporations 1-10 (Names Fictitious)” as defendants. The complaint says the corporations are “unknown at this time, are manufacturers of AFFF, manufacturers of fluorochemicals and fluosurfactants that contained PFAS used to make AFFF, and/or distributors of Defendants’ AFFF that have resulted in injuries to the State’s natural resources or otherwise share responsibility for such injuries.”
