HARRISBURG, PA —The state Attorney General has filed suit against three chemical companies that continue to manufacture and distribute products containing “forever chemicals,” which have impacted residents throughout Montgomery and Bucks counties.
Attorney General Michelle Henry said Friday that her office has taken action against DuPont and two other chemical companies for the continued manufacturing and distribution of products containing “forever chemicals,” which have been proven to be harmful to the environment and animals and increase the risk of human disease.
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DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva companies caused widespread environmental damages due to the PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” contained in products such as AFFF, a foam substance used by firefighters in training exercises, the AG states.
Horsham Township and surrounding communities have dealt with PFAS chemicals from the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base.
Those communities include Horsham, Hatboro, Abington, Upper Dublin, and Upper Moreland in Montgomery County, and Ivyland, Warminster, Northampton, Upper Southampton, Warrington, and Warwick in Bucks County.
The Office of Attorney General represents the Commonwealth and Department of Environmental Protection in filing a complaint in Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, seeking restitution, civil penalties, and other costs to be determined.
The Office of Attorney General alleges the companies are in violation of Pennsylvania’s Consumer Protection Law.
“For decades, these companies have known of the dangers and damages these products can inflict on humans, animals, and our natural resources,” Henry said. “Pennsylvanians have a right to breathe clean air and drink clean water. This civil action seeks recovery of costs related to cleaning up these harmful chemicals, as well as penalties against companies who have chosen to look the other way.”
PFAS have been linked to possible health effects, such as thyroid disease, and a reduced ability of the immune system to fight infections. They also reduce fetal growth and present increased risks for some forms of cancer.
PFAS are used in hundreds of household products, which increases the chance of human exposure. “Forever chemicals” break down slowly, if at all, and can build up in human and animal blood with repeated and long-term exposure.
The full scope of the potential PFAS contamination of the environment remains unknown.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Henry led a coalition of 17 Attorneys General in urging the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to add PFAS to the national list of Chemicals of Special Concern.
A study was conducted to test residents for PFA exposure in Horsham and surrounding communities over the past year.
In January, Pennsylvania set new standards to protect the state’s drinking water from PFAS chemicals by setting new limits on two forms of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
The new rule sets maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) in drinking water for two forms of PFAS – perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) —in order to protect the public from potential adverse health effects linked to exposure to PFOA and PFOS.