Walgreens class action alleges bandages contain harmful PFAS

Walgreens PFAS class action overview: 

• Who: Plaintiff Sara Sotelo has filed a class action lawsuit against Walgreens has been hit with a class action lawsuit by a bandage consumer.
• Why: The plaintiff alleges the company’s flexible fabric bandages contain harmful chemicals.
• Where: The Walgreens PFAS class action lawsuit was filed in an Illinois county court.

Walgreens has been hit with a class action lawsuit by a consumer who alleges the company’s flexible fabric bandages contain harmful chemicals.

Plaintiff Sara Sotelo filed the class action complaint against Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) on Aug. 14 in an Illinois county court alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.

The lawsuit claims that Walgreens’ flexible fabric bandages contain harmful chemicals known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). 

Sotelo alleges that the pharmacy chain marketed the bandages as safe while concealing the presence of these dangerous toxins, often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment and the human body.

PFAS detected on pad and adhesive flap

Sotelo alleges that Walgreens misled consumers by promoting the bandages as protective, sterile, and safe, while failing to disclose that they contain toxic substances that pose significant health risks. 

According to the lawsuit, independent laboratory testing detected 195 parts per million of organic fluorine — a marker for PFAS — on the absorbent pad of the bandages, and 243 parts per million on the sterile adhesive flap.

The lawsuit argues that if consumers had been informed about the presence of PFAS, they would not have purchased the bandages or would have paid considerably less for them. 

PFAS have been linked to various health issues, including cancer, liver damage, and high blood pressure, the lawsuit states. 

Experts warn that even trace amounts of these chemicals can accumulate in the body over time, potentially causing long-term harm, especially to vulnerable groups like children and the elderly.

As a result, Sotelo is seeking to represent all Illinois consumers who bought Walgreens bandages without knowledge of the chemicals they contained.

She is suing for breach of warranty, breach of Illinois consumer laws, fraud and unjust enrichment and is seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Meanwhile, Walgreens Boots Alliance faces a class action lawsuit alleging its benzoyl peroxide (BPO) acne treatment drug products contain dangerous levels of benzene.

What do you think of the allegations in this Walgreens PFAS lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.

The plaintiff is represented by attorneys from Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP and Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP. 

The Walgreens forever chemicals class action lawsuit is Sara Sotelo v. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., Case No. 2024-CH-07641 in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Chancery Division.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

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