Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched the state’s first lawsuit against “forever chemicals” manufacturers, joining the 30 other state attorneys general who have taken up arms against big chemical companies.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the district court of Johnson County, Texas, alleges 3M, DuPont and two of DuPont’s spinoff companies misrepresented the safety of products containing PFAS, a violation of the state’s deceptive trade practices law.
“These companies knew for decades that PFAS … could cause serious harm to human health yet continued to advertise them as safe for household use around families and children,” Paxton, a Republican, said in a news release.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances is an umbrella term that refers to thousands of compounds with a uniquely strong chemical bond. That bond gives the chemicals unique moisture-resistant and flame-repelling properties perfect for making pans nonstick or rain jackets waterproof, but it also means they don’t naturally break down in nature.
