Puerto Rico gov’t sues 20 companies for PFAS contamination

The government of Puerto Rico, on behalf of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, has filed a lawsuit against at least 20 companies for contamination of the island’s natural resources with toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which threaten the environment and people.

In the 88-page civil case filed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, the government claims the defendants “designed, manufactured, marketed, distributed, and sold a wide range of products that contain PFAS, the use, disposal, and discharge of which in Puerto Rico released the contaminant into the environment through multiple ways, [polluting] natural resources and putting Puerto Ricans’ health at significant risk.”

The list of defendants includes 3M Co.; AGC Chemicals Americas Inc.; Amerex Corp.; Archroma U.S. Inc.; Arkema INC.; BASF Corp.; Buckeye Fire Equipment Co.; Carrier Fire & Security Americas Corp.; Carrier Global Corp.; Chemdesign Products Inc.; Chemguard Inc.; Clariant Corp.; Corteva Inc.; Dupont De Nemours, Inc.; Dynax Corp.; EIDP INC., F/K/A E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co.; Kidde Plc Inc.; National Foam Inc.; The Chemours Co.; Tyco Fire Products LP; and other unidentified entities.

Some of the defendants’ PFAS products included specialized firefighting foams used to extinguish or suppress flammable liquid fires; household and consumer products such as grease-, stain- and water-repellant cookware, carpeting, clothing and food packaging; and processing aids used to make further products. Defendants generated significant profits from selling these products, including under branded names such as Teflon and Scotchgard, according to the complaint.