PFAS lawsuits overview:
- Who: Kimberly-Clark, Edgewell, Chemours, 3M and Health-Ade LLC recently faced lawsuits involving per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
- Why: The lawsuits involve the alleged presence of PFAS in kombucha, drinking water, the environment and an organic tampon product.
- Where: Lawsuits involving PFAS have been filed in U.S. federal courts.
The Food and Drug Administration announced food packaging manufacturers will no longer sell paper and paperboard products containing grease-proofing substances with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Food packaging manufacturers committed to voluntary phase out PFAS from their products to eliminate consumer exposure to the so-called “forever chemicals,” according to the FDA.
“The completion of the voluntary market phaseout of these substances used on food packaging paper and paperboard eliminates the primary source of dietary exposure to PFAS from authorized food contact uses,” the agency says.
Alleged PFAS presence led to a number of recent lawsuits involving drinking water, kombucha and pollution. And in January, a judge dismissed a class action lawsuit regarding PFAS in a tampon product.
Kimberly-Clark released PFAS into town’s drinking supply, class action claims
Several residents of New Milford, Connecticut, filed a class action lawsuit against Kimberly-Clark Corp. in late February over claims the company used, stored and emitted PFAS into the area’s drinking water supply.
The residents argue they are at risk of developing adverse health effects and lost the enjoyment of their homes as a result of the PFAS contamination.
The class action lawsuit requests Kimberly-Clark be required to install a system capable of filtering PFAS out of the area’s drinking water supply, undergo corrective measures and create a medical monitoring program for New Milford residents exposed to PFAS.
Connecticut AG files lawsuit against Chemours, 3M, others over PFAS-related claims
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong filed lawsuits against Chemours, 3M and more than two dozen other companies in January over claims they contaminated the state with PFAS.
Tong alleges Chemours, 3M and the other companies pollute Connecticut with PFAS while concealing and misrepresenting the dangers their products pose to groundwater in the state.
“With utter disregard for human health and the environment, the manufacturers concealed their knowledge about these harmful chemicals from regulators and deceived their customers,” the PFAS lawsuit states.
The lawsuits cites PFAS allegedly found in consumer products and aqueous film-forming foam, a fire suppressant firefighters use to extinguish flammable liquid fires.
Kombucha contains PFAS despite marketing as ‘natural,’ ‘organic,’ class action says
A consumer filed a class action lawsuit against Health-Ade in January over claims the company sold kombucha containing PFAS despite representing the beverage as “natural” and “organic.”
The class action lawsuit argues independent laboratory testing determined Health-Ade kombucha contains PFAS linked to adverse health effects, such as thyroid disorders, various cancers, immunotoxic effects, decreased fertility and liver damage.
“No reasonable consumer would expect that a product marketed for one’s health would contain dangerous PFAS, which are indisputably linked to harmful health effects in humans,” the class action states.
Judge dismisses PFAS claims against maker of o.b. Organic tampons
A federal judge in California dismissed a consumer’s class action lawsuit filed against the maker of o.b. Organic tampons over claims they contained PFAS.
The judge ruled the consumer’s laboratory testing did not offer sufficient proof of their claims against Edgewell Personal Care Co. and, therefore, the lawsuit could not prove any damages.
The consumer’s class action lawsuit claimed Edgewell advertised its o.b.Organic tampons as a health product despite them containing PFAS associated with “numerous” health concerns and a “toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative nature.”
“Reasonable consumers, therefore, fairly and reasonably understand that a product marketed with the organic representations would not contain chemicals known to be harmful to humans or the environment,” the o.b. Organic tampons class action stated.
Have you been injured by exposure to PFAS? Let us know in the comments.
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