Arizona sues over ‘PFAS’ or ‘forever chemicals’ found in drinking water supply
Attorney General’s Office names 3M & DuPont as some of the defendants
PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- The Arizona Attorney General is suing makers of popular man-made chemical compounds that allegedly pollute the state’s department environment, including the supply of drinking water.
The state says PFAS compounds, which are used for an array of industrial and personal uses, pose a public health threat. “One of those products is a fire-fighting foam used for decades at airports and military installations. When used as directed by the manufacturers, the products release PFAS into the environment, causing soil and water contamination,” the attorney general’s office wrote in a news release. The suit names 3M and DuPont as some of the defendants.
Arizona’s Family has previously reported on these cancer-causing chemicals. Last Fall, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) started a free “take-back and replace” program across the state to remove, dispose of, and replace the foam made of poly-fluoroalkyl substances.. The substances, also known as PFAS, has been nicknamed “forever chemicals” since they stay around for a long time and have been proven to cause severe health effects. The chemicals are used to make products like carpets, textiles, firefighter foam, and food packaging
“These companies have known for decades that so-called ‘forever chemicals’ would contaminate water supplies for generations to come but chose to sell their products anyway,” said Mayes. “The failure by these polluters to inform the state about the risks associated with these chemicals has harmed our environment and the health of Arizonans – and they must be held accountable.”
Arizona now joins various other municipalities around the U.S. in suing over such chemical use and comes months after ADEQ announced $3 million plan to proactively test an additional 1,200 of the state’s water systems, ADEQ has set up a map online where anyone can see the results of the water tests as they become available. To see the map, click/tap here.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.