Washington AG Filed Lawsuits against Chemical Companies, Including 3M and DuPont, over PFAS Manufacturing

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit against 20 chemical manufacturing companies, including 3M and DuPont, for knowingly contaminating the state’s resources and putting residents at risk by manufacturing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breaking down the human body and the environment. The complaint pointed to a 1999 resignation letter from an environmental scientist at 3M, who cites the company’s failure to act on its knowledge of the dangers of PFAS as a reason for resigning. The lawsuit sought recovered costs for investigation, remediation, restoration, treatment, monitoring, and general response to PFAS contamination, as well as penalties for natural resource damages.