Is There A PFAS Water Contamination Lawsuit?
Yes. The product liability lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are pursuing PFAS water contamination lawsuits for individuals throughout the United States who have been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and/or certain cancer caused by PFAS chemicals in drinking water.
PFAS have been widely used by the manufacturing industry since the 1940’s, due to their ability to resist heat, grease, stains, and water. However, they are known to persist in the human body and environment, building up over time. As a result, they are commonly referred to as “forever chemicals”.
While PFAS has contaminated drinking water from a number of sources, the most common cause has been from Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) used during firefighter training and in response to fuel-based fires, which can not be controlled by water alone. A number of companies are responsible for recklessly selling this toxic firefighting foam, which has widely contaminated drinking water supplies near military bases, airports and other locations.
High levels of PFAS in tap water have been detected in many communities and the manufacturers of these chemicals failed to warn about the long-term health risks. As a result, cases are being pursued to obtain financial compensation and PFAS water contamination settlement benefits for injuries that may have been avoided.
PFAS Water Contamination Lawsuit Criteria
Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. is reviewing PFAS water contamination lawsuits for individuals who drank from contaminated water supply from 1990 to present for at least 6 consecutive months and have been diagnosed with any of the following conditions living in the geographical locations listed below.
State/Communities:
- New Jersey (entire state)
- California (San Jose or East LA)
- Colorado (Colorado Springs or Denver)
- Minnesota (Minneapolis)
- Ohio (Cleveland)
- Michigan (entire state)
Cancer/Disease:
- Ulcerative Colitis (inflammatory bowel disease)
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Testicular Cancer
- Kidney Cancer
To help determine the settlement amount that you or a loved one may be eligible to receive, request a no-obligation PFAS lawsuit claim review below.
Latest Updates on PFAS Water Contamination 2022
September 2022 Update: Following multiple studies linking PFAS exposure to cancer and other serious side effects, the EPA announced plans to designate PFOA and PFOS chemicals as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). The designation will help protect communities from harmful PFAS pollution and give federal regulators the authority to hold polluters accountable and pursue cleanup costs.
June 2022 Update: The EPA updated the PFAS drinking water health advisory levels, substantially lowering the threshold for the chemicals allowed in drinking water to:
- Interim PFOA: 0.004 ppt
- Interim PFOS: 0.02 ppt
May 2022 Update: U.S. The Department of Defense (DoD) released the results of recent testing of PFAS drinking water contamination near military bases. The report revealed high levels of PFAS in drinking water off military bases, which could pose side effects for area residents.
Sites with PFAS Groundwater Contamination
Due to rising health concerns over PFAS contamination, many cities and states across the U.S. have started testing for PFAS levels in groundwater, surface water and soil.
As of June 2022, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has identified 2,858 locations in the U.S. that have confirmed PFAS water contamination in public and private systems. Of those, nearly 400 military installations have been confirmed to have ground water contaminated with PFAS, while contamination is suspected, but not yet confirmed, at hundreds of others.
Camp Lejeune toxic water lawsuits are also being investigated for veterans, their families and contractors who worked or lived at Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River in North Carolina between 1953 and 1987. It is projected that over one million individuals were exposed to contaminated water containing harmful chemicals at levels that were between 200x – 300x higher than what is permitted by environmental safety regulations.
Recent EPA required testing has identified that between 1953 and 1987 the military base Camp Lejeune and nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River suffered from multiple sources of water contamination from firefighting foam run-off, underground chemical and fuel leaks and other sources releasing Trichloroethylene (TCE), Tetrachloroethylene, Vinyl chloride (VC), Benzene and over 70 other hazardous chemicals. Many of which are linked to cancer, birth defects and other serious health issues.
Families can use the interactive EWG PFAS water contamination map to determine whether your area may have toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water.
However, due to decades of loosely regulated PFAS dumping and lack of publicly available data on firefighting training sites, recent research has shown the number of contaminated sites are largely underreported and still unknown.
According to a study published in the medical journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters in October 2022, researchers with the American Chemical Society (ACS) identified 57,412 presumptive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination sites by integrating multiple data sets into a single nationwide map, looking at where large amounts of PFAS were used, stored and manufactured.
The integrated map of sites presumed to be contaminated with PFAS includes 49,145 industrial facilities, 4,255 wastewater treatment plants, 3,493 current or former military sites, and 519 major airports.
Environmental Contamination Lawsuits Against PFAS Manufacturers
Many states have joined the PFAS litigation by filing lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers in recent years over contaminating drinking water sources. Each of the claims have raised similar allegations that manufacturers such as 3M, Dupont and others have released the toxic chemicals into the local water supply, damaging the state’s natural resources.
To date, either the state attorneys, attorney general or the state environmental health agencies that have taken legal action against PFAS producers include New York, South Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey Colorado, California, Minnesota, Alabama, New Hampshire, Vermont and Michigan.
It is anticipated that as agencies begin to ramp up PFAS contamination testing, many states and local jurisdictions will be forced to take legal action to recover damages to their natural resources.
PFAS Water Contamination Allegations
Families throughout the United States are pursuing PFAS water contamination class action lawsuits and individual injury lawsuits against a number of safety equipment and chemical manufacturers, who have covered up evidence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) health risks for years. Defendants named in PFAS lawsuits include, but are not limited to;
- 3M Company
- Dupont
- Kidde-Fenwal
- The Chemours Company
- National Foam Inc.
- Dynax Corp.
The lawsuits allege manufacturers knew, or should have known that individuals could develop cancers and inflammatory bowel disease as a result of consuming high volumes of PFAS chemicals in their local tap water caused by the dumping and natural run-off of PFAS used in firefighting foams and manufacturing plants.
Aside from public health impacts, lawsuits are also being pursued by individuals who claim they have lost property value due to high levels of hazardous substances contaminating their ground water.
Are there costs to hire a PFAS Water Contamination lawyer?
There are absolutely no out-of-pocket costs to review your case with our PFAS lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. Potential claims are evaluated for individuals throughout the United States, and all cases are handled on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay nothing up front to hire our lawyers, and we only receive an attorney fee or expenses if a PFAS lawsuit payout is obtained.
Through the use of contingency attorney fees, individuals have access to the experience and resources of our national law firm for PFAS water contamination lawsuits – regardless of their individual financial resources.
You pay nothing upfront to hire our PFAS contamination lawyers, and we only receive an attorney fee or expenses out of the money that is obtained from the PFAS manufacturers. Our law firm receives nothing unless we win your case!
Request a free consultation and PFAS water contamination lawsuit review online or call 1-800-522-0102 to get started. There are no attorney fees or expenses unless you win a settlement or recovery!
Steps in a PFAS Water Contamination Lawsuit Evaluation
Complete Our Case Evaluation Request Form. Provide contact information and some information about your exposure to contaminated PFAS drinking water.
Get Contacted by Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. You will be contacted by our personal injury lawyers to help determine if financial compensation may be available for you and your family.
You Decide If You Want to Move Forward. If our personal injury attorneys determine that we can help with your case then you decide whether to move forward and hire us to pursue a settlement.
What Are PFAS?
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals that have been frequently used in consumer and industrial products to resist grease, oil, and water. PFAS have also been widely used in firefighting foams due to their ability to put out chemical fires. They are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their ability to build up in the human body and they do not break down naturally in the environment.
More than 9,000 PFAS chemicals have been identified, and manufacturers have continued to develop new PFOA and PFOS chemicals that could be just as harmful and toxic to humans and the environment.
What Are The Side Effects of PFAS Exposure?
Exposure to PFAS causes long-term side effects since the chemicals’ persist in the body and can build up in the blood, kidney and liver. Side effects of PFAS exposure may include:
- Ulcerative Colitis (Inflammatory bowel disease)
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Liver Cancer
- Bladder Cancer
- Testicular Cancer
- Kidney Cancer
- Liver Damage
- Birth defects in children exposed to PFAS in utero
- Endocrine disruption
- Immune system problems
- High cholesterol
- Pre-clampsia
- Infertility
- Thyroid disease
- Decreased vaccine response
- Other Serious Injury or Disease
Studies Linking Cancer and PFAS Exposure
Information about the link between PFAS exposure and cancer has been found in a number of studies, and researchers are continuing to evaluate the long-term side effects that individuals may face after years of drinking PFAS contaminated water.
In 2013, a study published in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences investigated the geographic relationship between PFOA exposure and cancer rates among residents living near the DuPont Teflon manufacturing plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia (WV), where the manufacturer had discharged PFAS chemicals into the Ohio River, contaminating hundreds of private wells and water districts in Ohio and West Virginia since the 1950’s.
The findings revealed that more than 70,000 people drinking contaminated water were at an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, as well as kidney, testicular, prostate, and ovarian cancers.
A 2019 study reviewed PFAS serum levels in male participants from 2000 to 2013, finding those with higher exposures to PFAS had an increased risk of mortality from liver cancer and liver cirrhosis, among other health risks.
A report published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in March 2020 warned many PFAS chemicals contain upward of five carcinogenic characteristics, which can cause oxidative stress, changes in gene expression, cell mutation and altered cell communication, which explains how PFAS causes cancer.
In August 2022, a nested case-controlled study was published in JHEP Reports, finding a link between PFAS/PFOS exposure and liver cancer.
In the first-of-its-kind study to evaluate direct human exposure to PFAS chemicals, researchers found those with elevated levels of PFAS in their blood were associated with a 4.5 fold increased risk of developing liver cancer, specifically, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Researchers stated PFAS/PFOS may disrupt glucose, amino acid, and bile acid metabolism that may cause excessive fat accumulation in the liver, and over time can result in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is a known high risk factor for liver cancer.
Long Term Effects of PFAS Contaminated Water
In July 2022, study published in the medical journal Exposure and Health, researchers reviewed 13 medical conditions that can be caused by PFAS exposure, including diabetes, endometriosis, infertility, low birth weight, childhood and adult obesity, breast cancer and other ailments.
The study determined the medical condition, if solely caused by PFAS, could cost the U.S. Healthcare system a minimum of $5.5 billion during the current population’s lifetime.
As a result of the mounting evidence highlighting the harmful PFAS side effects, lawsuits are being pursued against manufacturers for failing to warn about the long-term risks associated with exposure to the chemicals. Many of the lawsuits have been filed by former firefighters, while other claims have been filed by those who lived near where such chemicals were used.
Why are Firefighters Pursuing PFAS Exposure Lawsuits?
In addition to PFAS drinking water contamination lawsuits, hundreds of former firefighters are also pursuing lawsuits against the manufacturers and distributors over injuries caused by PFAS exposure during their careers.
High levels of PFAS chemicals were contained in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which have been widely used for decades to extinguish fuel-based fires. Most of the PFAS water contamination nationwide has been caused by use of the chemicals in firefighting foam, especially near military bases, airports and other firefighting training locations.
Although safer alternatives were available, firefighters were exposed to PFAS chemicals during training and response exercises, often covering their entire body in the firefighting foam.
The PFAS water contamination lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are also pursuing firefighting foam cancer lawsuits for former firefighters, airport personnel and military service members exposed to AFFF.
PFAS Chemicals FAQs
What Are The Most Commonly Used PFAS Chemicals?
The most commonly used PFAS chemicals in consumer products include;
- Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA);
- Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS);
- Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS);
- Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA)
What Consumer Products Contain PFAS Chemicals?
In addition to firefighting foam, a number of common consumer products contain PFAS chemicals, including:
- Water-resistant/proof fabrics
- Non-stick cookware
- Food packaging
- Cosmetics
- Cleaning Products
- Many other products
While levels of PFAS chemicals in consumer products are generally low, large amounts are used during the manufacturing process. As a result areas around chemical and manufacturing facilities have also been linked to PFAS water contamination, and factory workers have been exposed to PFAS chemicals that may build up in their system.
Are PFAS Chemicals Still Being Used In Consumer Products?
Yes. Despite more than a decade of scientific evidence highlighting the public health concerns and toxic effects of PFAS contamination to humans, animals and the environment, hundreds of everyday consumer and commercial products across the globe are made with highly toxic fluorinated PFAS chemicals.
Who Is Responsible For Regulating PFAS?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating PFAS forever chemicals. While the EPA introduced the first provisional public health advisories for PFAS in 2009 under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), research has linked the possibility for PFAS exposure to cause cancer and organ damage to humans since the 1980’s.
Safe Drinking Water Act
The Safe Drinking Water Act was passed in 1974 giving the EPA the authority to set enforceable National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs), requiring maximum allowable limits for contaminants in drinking water.
Through the authority granted under the SDWA, the EPA announced the PFAS Strategic Roadmap in October 2021, setting forth a path and timeline to safeguard communities from the increased risk of exposure to per and poly fluoroalkyl substances in drinking water supply’s and natural resources.
The EPA’s roadmap contains several critical agendas such as understanding the life cycle of PFAS, how to prevent the chemicals from entering the environment, and to ensure PFAS manufacturers are held accountable for the public health and environmental impacts.
In September 2022, the EPA announced plans to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register that would classify perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous substances under the “Superfund” act.
The EPA’s action comes amid mounting scientific research that has linked PFOS and PFOA to cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, heart risks, liver damage and immune system problems.
The agency also indicates that it is likely to issue an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking targeting other PFAS chemicals as part of its PFAS Strategic Roadmap agenda.
Do You Qualify for a PFAS Water Contamination Settlement?
The product liability lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. provide free consultations and case evaluations to help individuals review the legal options that are available to them. After contacting our office toll free at 1-800-522-0102 or requesting a free case review on-line, the facts and circumstances surrounding your potential case will be reviewed and evaluated by our PFAS water contamination lawyers.
If it is determined that you or a loved one may be eligible for financial compensation or a settlement, it is your decision whether to hire our law firm. All lawsuits are handled by our PFAS water contamination attorneys under a contingency fee agreement, which means that there are never any fees or expenses paid unless we are successful in obtaining a settlement or other recovery in your case.
Contact Our Lawyers To Review a PFAS Water Contamination Case
