This class action centers on what the complaint calls “a massive, undisclosed human health experiment” regarding the contamination of groundwater, from the use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) products at US military bases or installations for firefighting or training purposes. Named as defendants are a long list of chemical companies, including 3M company, Corteva, Inc., E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, and Tyco Fire Products, LP.
The AFFF products, the complaint alleges, contain per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluoro octane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). These substances are useful in that they repel oil, grease, and water, and they were used in AFFF products. The AFFF products were in turn used in training and firefighting activities at the military bases and installations for fighting Class B fires, such as fires involving petroleum or other flammable liquids.
The complaint alleges, “PFOS and PFOA are mobile, persist indefinitely in the environment, bioaccumulate in individual organisms and humans, and biomagnify up the food chain.” They have come to be associated with health problems in human being, the complaint alleges, including “kidney cancer, testicular cancer, high cholesterol, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, and pregnancy-induced hypertension.”
According to the complaint, people suffer from the adverse effects of these substances even when the products are used as directed by the chemical companies that made them.
The complaint claims that these chemicals have moved into the groundwater in the areas of the bases or installations and have contaminated the water supplies. It alleges that the companies have known for years that the chemicals accumulate in workers’ bodies and affect humans and lab animals.
Two classes and four subclasses have been defined for this action:
The Personal Injury Class is individuals who have ingested PFAS-contaminated water from a US military base or installation, from 1970 to the present, and have a detectable level of PFAS in their blood serum, and have been diagnosed with a personal injury as a result of their exposure. This class is made up of two subclasses:
- All individuals who live or have lived at a US military base or installation.
- All individuals who work or have worked at a US military base or installation.
The Medical Monitoring Class is individuals who have ingested PFAS-contaminated water from a US military base or installation, from 1970 to the present, and have a detectable level of PFAS in their blood serum. This class is made up of two subclasses:
- All individuals who live or have lived at a US military base or installation.
- All individuals who work or have worked at a US military base or installation.
Topic: Environmental, Injury
Most Recent Case Event
Chemical Companies and Contaminated Groundwater at Military Bases Complaint
October 19, 2022
This class action centers on what the complaint calls “a massive, undisclosed human health experiment” regarding the contamination of groundwater, from the use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) products at US military bases or installations for firefighting or training purposes. Named as defendants are a long list of chemical companies, including 3M company, Corteva, Inc., E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, and Tyco Fire Products, LP.
Chemical Companies and Contaminated Groundwater at Military Bases ComplaintCase Event History
Chemical Companies and Contaminated Groundwater at Military Bases Complaint
October 19, 2022
This class action centers on what the complaint calls “a massive, undisclosed human health experiment” regarding the contamination of groundwater, from the use of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) products at US military bases or installations for firefighting or training purposes. Named as defendants are a long list of chemical companies, including 3M company, Corteva, Inc., E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, and Tyco Fire Products, LP.
Chemical Companies and Contaminated Groundwater at Military Bases Complaint