(The Center Square) – Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is suing 21 companies – including DuPont and 3M – for their involvement in manufacturing aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) and its components. Rosenblum alleges this fire-fighting chemical product is responsible for PFAS contamination in Oregon, according to a press release from her office.
PFAS means “per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances.” It is a chemical used in firefighting foam, often on military bases and at commercial airports. It is also in household products like nonstick pans, food packaging, waterproof jackets, and carpets, among other items.
PFAS can stay in the human body and environment for decades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it can cause many negative health effects, including:
decreased fertility and preeclampsia/increased high blood pressure in pregnant women;adverse developmental effects in children, such as low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, and behavioral changes;increased risk of certain cancers, including kidney and testicular cancers;reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response;interference with the body’s natural hormones; increased ulcerative colitis; increased thyroid disease; and,increased medically high cholesterol and/or risk of obesity.
In the suit, Rosenblum wants to hold these companies accountable for this harm to people and the environment.
“We intend to prove these defendants knew for decades that PFAS – and, particularly, PFAS-containing firefighting foam – is dangerous to human health and to the environment,” Rosenblum said. “They have profited mightily from their flagrant disregard for the health and safety of Oregonians and our natural resources. Defendants’ 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 alleges there are “dramatic levels” of PFAS at both Portland International Airport and Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Klamath Falls.
Oregon has requested that the defendants remove and remediate
In its request for relief, the state has asked the court to order the defendants to remove all “AFFF-related PFAS contamination on all lands and all waters that the State owns, possesses, controls or holds in trust for the benefit of the public; order restitution; and award damages in an amount be proven at trial,” the release said.
Plus, the state wants compensation for all past and future costs associated with related PFAS contamination across Oregon.
A copy of the filed complaint is available here.
