The California government sued 18 chemical companies, including 3M and DuPont

On November 10, the California State prosecutor's department announced the indictment of 3M, DuPont and 16 other chemical companies, accusing them of concealing the fact that a class of chemical products polluted the environment and endangering public health for a long time, and demanded that the cost of cleaning up the pollution be paid
.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said that polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals produced by the defendant company have been used in a variety of consumer products since the forties and fifties, including fire extinguishing agents, nonstick pans, cleaning sprays, waterproof sporting goods, anti-fouling carpets, cosmetics, because such compounds are extremely difficult to degrade in the natural environment and accumulate for a long time once they enter the human bloodstream, 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.

The prosecution pointed out that after years of investigation, it was found that the defendant company knew that PFAS-containing products had risks of causing cancer, developmental disabilities, osteoporosis and other diseases, but continued to market such products
to the public.

The Associated Press reported that this is the first statewide lawsuit filed in the United States to file a PFAS pollution-related lawsuit
.

PFAS contains a range of synthetic organofluorides that are widely used to make products with stain, water, and oil repellent properties, such as nonstick coatings
.

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

In a statement, 3M said the company "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 compounds such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), and that the company believes California prosecutors are "suing the wrong person" and will actively protect DuPont's "reputation for safeguarding safety, health and the environment.
"

According to the Associated Press, U.
S.
companies have automatically phased out the production of PFAS toxic compounds, but a certain number of products are still 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 EPA, these chemicals are more dangerous than previously thought, and even if the levels are too low to detect, they may pose a health risk
.