PFOA Water Contamination Lawsuit
PFOA – perfluorooctanoic acid – is a suspected carcinogen used in making Teflon. PFOS – perfluorooctyl sulfonate – is also a suspected carcinogen in Teflon. Both PFOA and PFOS can cause serious health problems when they leech into drinking water or soil. Even the EPA recognizes the dangers of FFOA and PFOS in drinking water. The agency does little to warn of the potentially catastrophic problem, but it does acknowledge PFOA and PFOS dangers to people. Alarmingly, agencies charged with monitoring our water have detected harmful levels of PFOAs and PFOS in drinking water across the country. Our law firm is investigating these cases for potential PFOA and PFOS water contamination lawsuits.
Free Legal Consultation
If you or someone you love has been harmed by PFOA- or PFOS-contaminated drinking water, contact our law firm now for a free legal consultation. We handle water-contamination lawsuits nationwide.
What are PFOA and PFOS?
PFOA and PFOS are manmade chemicals found in consumer products used by nearly every American today and in the last few decades. PFOA– perfluorooctanoic acid — is best known in Teflon products made by DuPont and in waterproof coatings made by Saint-Gobain, Honeywell, Taconic Plastics, and others.
PFOS — perfluorooctane sulfonate has been used for years to make firefighting foam. The 3M company and others produced that foam. The problem is these chemicals have seeped into the water supply in many U.S. communities.
PFOA and PFOS Harm People
DuPont, 3M, Saint-Gobain, and other companies have made and used PFOA, PFOS and other perfluorochemicals in the manufacture of products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, water. These contaminated products include nonstick cooking pans, stain-resistant furniture, cleaning supplies, clothing, food containers, and more. Associated brands include well-known names such as Teflon, STAINMASTER, Scotchgard, SilverStone.
PFOS and PFOA resist normal environmental breakdown. They are considered nonbiodegradable. These toxic chemicals also resist breakdown in the human body, where they accumulate and remain for long periods. The physical properties combined with their decades of use make PFOA and PFOS ubiquitous in our environment. They are commonly found in soil, water, and air, as well as in animal tissues.
Evidence Mounts of PFOA / PFOS Dangers
Though PFOA and PFOS use has decreased in recent years, exposure risk persists because the chemicals don’t naturally break down. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says studies have shown exposure to the family of chemicals that includes PFOA and PFOS may affect developing infants and children. The chemicals can affect the immune system, decrease fertility, interrupt natural hormones, increase cholesterol counts, and heighten cancer risk.
A science panel convened in2013 to study Mid-Ohio Valley communities affected by PFOA releases from a DuPont plant in West Virginia found a “probable link” between PFOA exposure and the incidence of six categories of diseases: high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer, pregnancy-induced hypertension.
In 2014, the U.S. EPA classified PFOS and PFOA as “emerging contaminants.” That means they are a real or perceived threat to human health or the environment. Consequently, the Safe Drinking Water Act required larger water systems to monitor PFOA and PFOS levels in their water.
Mounting evidence of harm combined with PFOA and PFOS found in drinking water caused the EPA in 2016 to establish new drinking water advisories for PFOA and PFOS levels. The EPA’s new advisories are markedly lower than the agency’s prior advisories. They impact state and local agencies in charge of managing water supplies.
Matthews & Associates Law Firm is investigating reports of PFOA and PFOS contamination in several towns across the country.
PFOA Water Contamination Lawsuit
If you believe you or a loved one has suffered injury due to PFOA or PFOS water contamination, or if you believe other contamination issues have harmed your health or a family member, contact us at (888) 520-5202 for a free legal consultation, or simply email us at this link now.
Related
