The Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a lawsuit at Washtenaw County Circuit Court. This lawsuit has been put up against 17 defendants, including 3M and DuPont, for damages and injury that has been inflicted on the State of Michigan. The main reason for this comes from the contamination from toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances. These are known as “forever chemicals” and are typically abbreviated as PFAS. If you’ve seen the movie Dark Waters then you’re already aware of some of the history of this in other states.
The lawsuit is the first major action to be taken by the state against companies that are in the business of manufacturing PFAS. Michigan has been one of the most aggressive states in fighting back against PFAS contamination. This has become a widespread issue, and this lawsuit appears to be the first key steps to fighting back against this pollution.
The lawsuit claims that all defendants had deliberately concealed the danger of PFAS, even going as far to withhold key scientific evidence. They also allege that the defendants knowingly sold, released, transported, and supplied, handled, and used PFAS and PFAS-like materials in Michigan. It goes on to state that the defendants not only done this, but they knew the risks of doing so and the potential for putting Michigan residents in the way of harm.
You can find a full copy of the lawsuit here: https://www.michigan.gov/documents/ag/Complaint_2020-01-14_final_678329_7.pdf. You can read the entire statement from the State of Michigan, and to work out why they have made such an aggressive push to do something about this.
The most crucial part of the statement, though, is to do with the impact of PFAS and its impact on human life. Part of the statement reads: “Exposure to PFAS is correlated with several harmful and serious health effects including but not limited to: Decreased fertility; pregnancy induced hypertension and/or preeclampsia; liver damage; thyroid disease; problems with cholesterol levels; immune system problems; and increased likelihood of cancer, especially kidney and testicular cancers.”
The case will continue, and we will provide updates as and when it is possible.
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