AFFF has historically been used during fire protection, training, and response activities against flammable liquid fires. 3M Company and other companies have manufactured, marketed, or sold AFFF containing the “forever chemicals” PFOA and PFOS since the 1960s. Once released into the environment, PFOA and PFOS are non-biodegradable and seep into the ground contaminating the surface water, soil, sediment, and groundwater.
The team at Baird Mandalas Brockstedt & Federico represents Charleston County Aviation Authority (CCAA), the governing body of three South Carolina airports including Charleston International Airport, who filed a lawsuit against 3M Company, E. I. DuPont De Nemours and Company, and others for the contamination of the groundwater on their properties due to the manufacturing and use of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) containing the harmful chemicals perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). Extended exposure to these chemicals has been linked to numerous health and safety complications, including cancer.
The lawsuit, which is the first of its kind to be filed by a South Carolina entity, was filed in the U.S. District Court of South Carolina, Charleston Division. We are seeking damages for 3M Company and others’ defective design of PFOA, PFOS, and AFFF containing these chemicals, their failure to warn the public of the dangers of their products, and the nuisance created by the chemicals contaminating the properties where it was used.
In the News
- Delaware Online | The Chesapeake Watershed’s growing battle against PFAS
Source: Post and Courier