The State of Texas is suing companies that falsely claim that products containing toxic chemicals such as “forever chemicals” are safe.
“These companies knew for decades that PFAS chemicals could cause serious harm to human health, yet continued to advertise them as safe for household use around families and children,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement on X. “Texas is taking action to penalize these companies and hold them accountable for deceiving Texans into buying consumer products without vital information.”
The lawsuit specifically targets 3M and DuPont for “misrepresentation and key commissions they made in advertising the safety of brand names such as Teflon, Stainmaster, and Scotchgard,” a press release says.
PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” are associated with cancer and thyroid disease and accumulate in humans over time.
According to the lawsuit, “Defendants marketed products containing harmful PFAS chemicals for over 70 years and were aware of the harmful effects of PFAS chemicals for over 50 years. Despite this knowledge, Defendants continued to market PFAS products and chemicals in Texas and elsewhere as safe for consumer use, misrepresent their environmental and biological risks, and conceal risks of harm from the public.”
“PFOA exposure is associated with, among other things, decreased birthweight, testicular and kidney cancers, ulcerative colitis, medically diagnosed high cholesterol, and thyroid disease,” the filing adds.
A study from Yale School of Public Health found that “forever chemicals” are pervasive in tap water and may spread cancer.
“PFAS make up a prevalent class of persistent organic pollutants of increasing public concern worldwide,” said one of the study’s authors. “They have been frequently detected in the environment, such as in drinking water, indoor dust, cleaning products, and coatings.”
Batteries for electric vehicles are also linked to forever chemicals.
