New York sues chemical giants over PFAS, the ‘forever chemicals’ found in Long Island drinking water
Environmental advocates say PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been used in consumer products for decades and that the lawsuit represents an important step toward reducing public exposure.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing several of the nation’s largest chemical manufacturers, accusing them of marketing and selling products containing PFAS, cancer-linked “forever chemicals” that have contaminated drinking water supplies on Long Island and across the state.
Environmental advocates say PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been used in consumer products for decades and that the lawsuit represents an important step toward reducing public exposure.
Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said PFAS remain common in many everyday products.
“Addressing the fact that PFAS continue to be used by these industries in the common products we have every day, in our frying pans, our cookware, our children’s toys, dental floss and cosmetics,” she said.
Experts say people can be exposed to PFAS through inhalation, drinking contaminated water and consuming food that comes into contact with PFAS-containing products.
“PFAS enter from frying pans into our bodies through, of course, the food that you cook on this frying pan,” said Lokesh Padhye, a professor of emerging contaminant research at the New York State Center for Clean Water Technology at Stony Brook University.
Health and environmental officials have long documented PFAS contamination in air, soil and water. Because the chemicals break down very slowly, they can persist in the environment for years.
Local water providers say extensive measures have been put in place to keep PFAS out of the public water supply.
“We’re making sure people aren’t drinking this stuff,” said Tim Kilcommons, of the Suffolk County Water Authority.
Kilcommons said the authority has been using filtration systems since 2013 to remove PFAS and other contaminants before water reaches homes.
“The water just flows through there and removes the contaminant as it’s flowing through, and we’re testing to make sure that removal is taking place,” he said.
Esposito said the companies named in the lawsuit should be held accountable and hopes the legal action will force industrywide changes that reduce future contamination and protect public health.
