SAN FRANCISCO – (INT) - California has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of substances, commonly referred to as PFAS.

Attorney General Rob Bonta says the public health has been endangered and irreparable harm done to the state's natural resources.

Bonta alleges that the manufacturers, including 3M and DuPont, knew or should have known that PFAS are toxic and harmful to human health and the environment, yet continued to produce them.

PFAS are a class of thousands of toxic chemicals. The lawsuit concerns seven common PFAS that have been detected in drinking water supplies, surface waters, and groundwater in California.

PFAS are widely used in consumer products including food packaging, cookware, clothing, carpets, shoes, fabrics, polishes, waxes, paints, and cleaning products, as well as in firefighting foams designed to quickly smother liquid fuel fires. These so-called "forever chemicals”.

PFAS have been found in the blood of most Californians. Human exposure to PFAS can occur from contaminated air, water, soil, or food, and consumer products.

Story Date: November 28, 2022