California launches PFAS pollution lawsuit

Recently, the California prosecutor's department announced the prosecution of 3M, DuPont and 16 other chemical companies, accusing them of concealing the fact that a class of chemical products polluting the environment and endangering public health for a long time, and demanding that the cost of cleaning up the pollution be paid
.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said that polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS) produced by the defendant enterprise have been used since the forties and fifties of the last century in a variety of consumer products, including fire extinguishing agents, nonstick pans, cleaning sprays, waterproof sporting goods, anti-fouling carpets, cosmetics and more
.
Such compounds are extremely difficult to degrade in the natural environment, and once they enter the human bloodstream, they will accumulate for a long time, and are called "permanent chemicals"
.
The prosecution found that the defendant company had been aware that such chemicals were "toxic and harmful to human health and the environment, but continued to be produced for mass use and concealed the harm from the public" for decades, allowing the chemicals to leach into soil, waterways, and consumers, in violation of California consumer rights and environmental protection laws
.
The prosecution also invoked a federal law requiring the defendant business to pay back the cost
of cleaning up hazardous substances that seep into soil and water.
According to US media reports, this is the first statewide lawsuit
related to PFAS pollution in the United States.

According to Bunta, about 98 percent of California's 39 million people have PFAS residues detected in their blood
.
The substance is also widely found in
California's drinking water sources, lakes, rivers, and wildlife.

On the corporate side, 3M said in a statement that it "has a long history of acting responsibly with PFAS-containing products and will defend the company's reputation for environmental protection.
"
DuPont stated that DuPont has never produced extinguishing agents or PFAS, PFAS and perfluorooctane sulfonate, and believes that California prosecutors are "suing the wrong person" and will actively protect DuPont's "reputation for safeguarding safety, health and the environment.
"

At present, American companies have phased out the production of PFAS toxic compounds, but there are still a certain number of products on the market
.
In June, the U.
S.
Environmental Protection Agency alerted state and territory governments to apply to the federal government for funding
to clean up pollutants such as PFAS in drinking water under new infrastructure laws.
According to the U.
S.
Environmental Protection Agency, these chemicals are more dangerous than previously thought, and even if the levels are too low to detect, they may pose a health risk
.