Dupont, 3M and other 18 chemical companies were sued by the California government!

The U.S. Attorney's Office of California announced on November 10 that it is suing 3M Co., DuPont Co., and 16 other chemical companies, accusing them of concealing the fact that a class of chemical products pollute the environment and endanger public health for a long period of time, and seeking to recover the cost of cleaning up the pollution.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the defendants' polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl (PFAS) chemicals have been used in a variety of consumer products since the 1940s and 1950s, including fire fighting agents, nonstick cooking pans, cleaning sprays, waterproof sports products, anti-fouling carpets and cosmetics, because these compounds are extremely difficult to degrade in the natural environment. Once in the human blood will also accumulate for a long time, known as "permanent chemicals."

Prosecutors allege that the companies knew for decades that the chemicals were "toxic to human health and the environment, but continued to produce and use them in large quantities and concealed the hazards from the public," allowing the chemicals to leep into soil, waterways and consumers in violation of California's consumer and environmental laws. Prosecutors also cited a federal law that requires defendant companies to pay back the cost of cleaning up hazardous materials that leach into soil and water.

Prosecutors said years of investigation revealed that the companies continued to market PFAs-containing products to the public despite knowing they carried risks of cancer, developmental disabilities, osteoporosis and other diseases.

This is the first statewide PFAS pollution-related lawsuit filed in the United States, the Associated Press reported.

PFAS contain a range of synthetic organic fluorides and are widely used in the manufacture of products with anti-fouling, waterproof and oil-resistant properties, such as non-stick pan coatings.

According to Bonta, about 98 percent of California's 39 million people have traces of PFAS in their blood, and the substance is widely found in California's drinking water sources, lakes, rivers and wildlife.

3M said in a statement that it "has always acted responsibly with regard to PFAS-containing products and will defend our environmental reputation."

Dupont said it had never produced fire extinguishing agents or PFOA or PFOS, two PFAS, and that it believed California prosecutors had "wrongly accused" the company and would vigorously defend DuPont's "reputation for protecting safety, health and the environment."

According to the Associated Press, US companies have automatically phased out the production of toxic compounds like PFAS, although some products are still on the market.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in June prompted states and territories to apply for federal funding to clean up PFAS and other contaminants in drinking water under the new Infrastructure Act. According to the EPA, such chemicals are more dangerous than previously thought and can pose a health risk even at levels too low to be detected.