PFAS Water Contamination Lawsuit
PFAS water contamination lawsuits are mounting nationwide on behalf of thousands of individuals, municipalities, and state governments over the alarming levels of dangerous chemicals leeching into public and private water supplies.
Manufacturers of chemical products, non-stick cookware, stain and water-resistant products, and numerous other consumer goods are responsible for PFAS water contamination. DuPont and 3M have already agreed to pay billions to municipal water agencies to clean up the drinking water, and this is only the beginning. If you or your loved one has suffered health effects from PFAS water contamination, our nationally recognized class action lawsuit attorneys can help you recover substantial compensation.
“PFAS are dangerous chemicals with a proven link to multiple cancers. Manufacturers have failed to take the necessary steps to get them out of their products and to remediate sites where they have been dumped.”
Quick Links
- What Are PFAS?
- Health Risks Associated with PFAS Water Contamination
- Communities and Areas Impacted By Water Contamination
- How Does Drinking Water Become Contaminated with PFAS?
- Who Is Filing PFAS Water Contamination Lawsuits?
- Do I Qualify for the Water Contamination Lawsuit?
- How to File a PFAS Cancer Lawsuit
- How Can the Personal Injury Lawyers at Cutter Law Help?
- Schedule Your Free Consultation Today
What Are PFAS?
PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals.” They are manmade chemicals that cannot easily break down in the environment and bodies. Therefore, they build up over time. Among the thousands of types of PFAS, the most common are perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate, or PFOS. Both are linked to serious health effects.
PFAS chemicals are highly toxic—even in small amounts. The EPA has recently announced new standards requiring public water companies to limit six regulated PFAS chemicals to 4 parts per trillion in drinking water—the equivalent of one drop in an Olympic-size swimming pool. The EPA has determined that any exposure above this limit is hazardous to human health.
On June 10, 2024, several chemical and manufacturing groups filed a lawsuit against the federal government to fight this rule, claiming it would be too costly. While limiting PFAS contamination in water is expected to prevent thousands of deaths and even more illnesses, chemical manufacturers seem more concerned about how the rule will affect their bottom line. The rule is likely to spur multiple lawsuits against the industry.
Health Risks Associated with PFAS Water Contamination
As forever chemicals accumulate in the body, the following health conditions may develop:
- Kidney cancer
- Testicular cancer
- Thyroid cancer
- Reduced immune response to vaccines
- Liver damage
- Birth defects
- Developmental delays
- Newborn death
- Low birth weight
- Preeclampsia during pregnancy
- High cholesterol
- Decreased fertility
- Behavioral changes in children
- Prostate cancer
- Hormone disruption
- Obesity
This is not an exhaustive list. If you have been exposed to large amounts of PFAS chemicals in your lifetime and suffered a serious health effect, our experienced personal injury lawyers can determine whether PFAS water contamination contributed to your illness and file a lawsuit on your behalf if we find a link.
Communities and Areas Impacted By Water Contamination
As of May 2024, at least 6,189 sites in all 50 states, D.C., and four territories have been confirmed to be contaminated with PFAS chemicals. The EPA has found contamination in private and public water systems. Furthermore, a 2020 EPA study estimated that more than 200 million Americans are served by water systems with higher concentrations of PFOA or PFOS than the EPA’s recommended levels of four parts per trillion.
The U.S. Geological Survey has found that at least 45 percent of the nation’s drinking water supply is contaminated. This only accounts for the 32 types of PFAS chemicals the EPA tested for. There are 12,000 different types of PFAS, but many are undetectable with current testing technology.
People living and working near urban areas with known PFAS sources have the highest exposure to PFAS in drinking water. The EPA has found the most notable PFAS concentrations in the following regions of the United States:
- The Great Plains
- The Great Lakes
- The Eastern Seaboard
- Central and Southern California
How Does Drinking Water Become Contaminated with PFAS?
You can be exposed to PFAS through a variety of manufactured goods, but even if you avoid all of them, you may still be exposed to them through drinking water. Exposure can happen whether your drinking water comes from a public water source, a private well, or bottled water.
Many companies that manufacture and use products containing PFAS have not taken adequate measures to prevent the chemicals from entering the groundwater or drinking water supplies. PFAS chemicals contaminate drinking water in the following ways:
- Industrial dumping of PFAS directly into rivers, lakes, and streams
- PFAS in landfills that seep into groundwater
- PFAS products burned in incinerators
- The use of aqueous film-forming foam or AFFF—one of the most significant sources of exposure
PFAS Contamination from Bodies of Water and Landfills
PFAS chemicals are highly portable. They easily travel throughout the country in rivers and streams. Many water utilities tap directly into rivers and streams as their primary source of drinking water for their communities. If the water is contaminated, members of the community who drink the water have a high risk of exposure.
PFAS Contamination from Landfills and Incinerators
Runoff from a landfill can also deposit PFAS chemicals in groundwater miles away. Once they enter groundwater, the chemicals can easily travel to drinking wells. When PFAS chemicals are burned in an incinerator, they enter the atmosphere and reenter the groundwater through rain. The chemicals can ultimately end up back in the drinking water.
Aqueous Film-Forming Foam and PFAS Water Contamination
AFFF is a fire suppression chemical that has been used for the following:
- Fighting fires
- Firefighter training
- Military training
- System testing at airports
- Fire suppression systems
AFFF contains a high concentration of PFAS that seep into the groundwater and never goes away. As a result, people living near airports, military training facilities, and firefighter training facilities experience some of the highest PFAS exposure.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected at least one PFAS chemical in over 99 percent of people studied.
Who Is Filing PFAS Water Contamination Lawsuits?
Local governments, states, and individuals have filed thousands of PFAS water contamination lawsuits, and thousands more are likely.
According to a New York Times report, companies that add PFAS chemicals to products have known about their dangers since 1961. However, manufacturers failed to warn the public or take measures to prevent drinking water contamination.
This conduct is similar to that of asbestos product manufacturers, who knowingly exposed workers and the public for more than 50 years after they knew the toxic material caused mesothelioma and other deadly diseases. Until now, asbestos lawsuits have spurred the largest influx of litigation against corporations in history. However, experts expect PFAS lawsuits to be significantly more expensive and widespread because nearly everyone has been exposed.
Local Municipalities Lawsuits
As of June 2024, the following states have filed lawsuits against DuPont and 3M for PFAS drinking water contamination:
- Maine
- New Mexico
- Maryland
- Rhode Island
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Vermont
- Wisconsin
In a PFAS class action lawsuit involving AFFF, 3M has agreed to a global settlement of $10.5 to $12.5 billion to be paid to thousands of local water companies from 2024 through 2036 to cover the cleanup costs and make the drinking water safe. The amount paid will depend on the number of water companies that do not opt out of the class action. DuPont has agreed to a $1.185 billion settlement to be paid to affected water companies through 2031.
Some state and local agencies have objected to the settlements and opted out of the class actions because they claim the amounts fall short of what’s needed to facilitate the cleanup. Those who opt out can file separate actions.
Individual Lawsuits
Individual PFAS cancer lawsuits are now cropping up around the country against a variety of manufacturers, alleging they contaminated groundwater with the chemicals, causing decreased property values and severe health effects, such as cancer.
A PFAS water contamination lawsuit can provide substantial compensation for your economic and non-economic losses if you or your loved one has suffered a serious health effect from consuming water contaminated with PFAS. Compensation may include the following:
- Medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of society
- Emotional distress
If your loved one has died from a disease caused by PFAS water contamination, you may be eligible for wrongful death damages, such as loss of financial support, loss of companionship, and compensation for your loved one’s pain and suffering. Contact us today for a free case review.
Do I Qualify for the Water Contamination Lawsuit?
You may be eligible to file a PFAS personal injury lawsuit if you meet the following criteria:
- You consumed PFAS-contaminated drinking water over an extended period
- You have been diagnosed with a health condition known to result from PFAS exposure
You may also qualify to file a wrongful death lawsuit if your loved one has consumed PFAS-contaminated drinking water and subsequently died from a condition linked to PFAS exposure.
How to File a PFAS Cancer Lawsuit
To file a PFAS water contamination lawsuit, you will need to do the following:
- Gather medical records that confirm your diagnosis
- Obtain medical testing to prove PFAS chemicals have accumulated in your body
- Keep copies of your medical bills and receipts
- Obtain water quality reports from your water company or a reputable water testing company if you have a well
- Contact our knowledgeable class action lawyers as soon as possible.
Our award-winning PFAS water contamination lawyers can obtain all this information for you. When you have Cutter Law on your side, your only job will be to complete your medical treatment and focus on recovery. We will make you feel like family, and you can count on us to fight for the compensation you deserve with the same zeal as if you were family.
How Can the Personal Injury Lawyers at Cutter Law Help?
We will investigate, gather evidence, file your PFAS lawsuit, negotiate a settlement, and take your case to trial if the manufacturer refuses to settle. We work with top medical experts and environmental scientists within our network to strengthen your case and prove that the PFAS manufacturers contaminated your water supply, causing your illness.
With more than 130 years of combined experience, we have the skills and resources to hold large companies accountable for harming individuals through corporate negligence. Since starting our law firm in 2015, we have recovered hundreds of millions in compensation for our clients.
We are a family-owned law firm that works as a team on every case, and we think of our clients as an extension of our family. When you hire Cutter Law, you get our whole law firm. Every attorney in our firm will know your name and the details of your case. Communication is everything to us, and we will never leave you in the dark. We will always welcome your phone calls, answer your messages, and go out of our way to keep you informed.
Schedule Your Free Consultation Today
We see every client not as a case but as a person. If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with a health condition stemming from PFAS water contamination, we will work for your family and fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact us today to schedule your free case review.
Testimonials
Schedule A Free Case Review
"*" indicates required fields
Our Office Locations
Sacramento Office
401 Watt Avenue Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95864
Phone: 916-290-9400
Oakland Office
Cutter Law P.C.
1999 Harrison Street Suite 1400
Oakland, CA 94612
