PFAS Contamination Lawsuit against Kleenex. According to a new federal class action lawsuit, deadly PFAS pollution from a Connecticut Kleenex plant has contaminated the land, well water aquifers, and drinking water, risked residents’ health, and destroyed their property values.
PFAS Contamination lawsuit. Over 15,000 of these similar man-made chemicals are linked with cancer, severe diseases, and wrongful death.
This Kleenex PFAS Contamination Lawsuit is the first case involving facial tissues, though researchers previously found the chemicals in toilet paper.
PFAS and the related 15,000 man-made chemicals are going to be the biggest environmental disaster of the 21st century.
What is PFAS?
PFAS stands for Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS are a class of more than 15,000 man-made chemicals that have been widely used in various industrial and consumer products since the 1950s. PFAS are prized for their ability to repel water and oil, resist heat, and reduce friction. PFAS is supposed to be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the federal government, but usually nothing comes of it and hence Private Citizens lawsuits like this one, to force the regulatory bodies to act.
PFAS have been used in a wide range of products including non-stick cookware, think Teflon, stain-resistant fabrics, think ScotchGard, water-repellent clothing, food packaging, think Pizza boxes, firefighting foams, and many others.
Why is PFAS dangerous?
The chemical compounds are linked to cancer, birth defects, liver disease, thyroid problems, decreased immunity, hormone disruption, and a range of other serious health issues. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and they also easily move through the environment, air, wind and water often ending up in drinking water.
PFAS are considered dangerous for several reasons:
Persistence: PFAS persist in the environment for a very long time without breaking down. This persistence means they can accumulate in the environment and the bodies of humans and animals over time.
Bioaccumulation: PFAS can bioaccumulate, meaning they build up in the bodies of living organisms over time. This can occur through exposure to contaminated water, food, or air. Once absorbed into the body, PFAS can remain for years. This fact alone, means that there is no safe value of PFAS in the environment, because it continues to accumulate.
Health Effects: Exposure to PFAS has been linked to various adverse health effects in humans, including cancer (such as kidney and testicular cancer), immune system dysfunction, thyroid disease, reproductive problems, and developmental effects in infants and children. Some studies have also suggested associations with high cholesterol levels and other metabolic disorders.
Widespread Contamination: PFAS contamination has been detected in water sources, soil, air, wildlife, and human blood samples worldwide. This widespread contamination has raised concerns about the potential health risks associated with exposure to these chemicals.
Overall, the combination of persistence, bioaccumulation, potential health effects, and widespread contamination make PFAS a significant environmental and public health concern.
PFAS Contamination Lawsuit Allegations
The PFAS chemicals are commonly used in paper production, and air emissions from the Kleenex plant have contaminated the region’s drinking water wells, significant amounts of PFAS have been found in drinking water, the air, and the soil around the plant. The plaintiffs are seeking $5m in damages and health monitoring costs.
As expected, Kimberly-Clark, Kleenex’s parent company, denied responsibility for the pollution.
Kleenex has produced paper goods at the New Milford plant since the 1950s. The facility was once used to manufacture diapers, to which PFAS is added as a moisture barrier to prevent leakage, and it continues to make 1m Kleenex tissue packages daily.
The lawsuit claims that PFAS are used as “wetting agents” in the process of turning the pulp wood into paper or tissues, and Kleenex’s manufacturing process causes “substantial “ air emissions.
How PFAS spreads in the environment?
- Air: PFAS can be released into the atmosphere from industrial facilities dumping PFAS laden air into their smoke stacks, plastic or otherwise waste incineration, and consumer products. Once airborne, PFAS can travel long distances and deposit onto soil and water surfaces through precipitation (e.g., rain, snow) or atmospheric deposition.
- Water: Discharges from industrial facilities into holding ponds, ground water contamination leaching into rivers and streams, wastewater treatment plants, toxic waste dumping grounds and landfills, and firefighting training sites are significant sources of PFAS contamination in water bodies. PFAS can also migrate through groundwater from contaminated sites, such as landfills and manufacturing facilities, into surface water bodies.
- Soil: PFAS can accumulate in soil through direct application (e.g., from firefighting foams, land application of waste biosolids for fertilizer), atmospheric deposition, or runoff from contaminated sites. Once in the soil, PFAS can persist for long periods and may leach into groundwater or be taken up by plants.
- Biota: PFAS can bioaccumulate in organisms through exposure to contaminated water, soil, or food sources. Once absorbed by organisms, PFAS can biomagnify through the food chain, leading to higher concentrations in predators at the top of the food chain.
- Consumer Products: PFAS-containing consumer products, such as non-stick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, and food packaging, can release PFAS into the environment during use, washing, and disposal. This can contribute to contamination of water, soil, and air.
- Landfills: Landfills that receive waste containing PFAS-containing products can become sources of PFAS contamination in the surrounding environment through leachate, which can seep into groundwater and surface water.
Examples of known PFAS Contamination lawsuits nationwide
PFAS sent into the air later land on the ground or surface water. Because they do not dissolve in water or break down in the environment, they can move through the soil and end up in groundwater, which is then pulled by wells.
In North Carolina, air emissions from a Chemours PFAS manufacturing plant are behind widespread contamination of wells near the plant. The North Carolina water contamination incident involving a DuPont (later Chemours) plant primarily centers around the Fayetteville Works facility located near the Cape Fear River in Bladen County, North Carolina. This plant has historically produced various chemicals, including PFAS, notably GenX.
GenX is a replacement chemical for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which DuPont phased out due to health and environmental concerns. However, GenX has also been associated with potential health risks.
The contamination of water sources around the Fayetteville Works plant became a significant concern after reports emerged of elevated levels of GenX and other PFAS compounds in the Cape Fear River, which serves as a drinking water source for nearby communities, including Wilmington, North Carolina.
Residents and environmental groups raised alarms about potential health risks associated with exposure to GenX and other PFAS compounds in drinking water.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) initiated investigations into the contamination, leading to increased regulatory scrutiny of the Fayetteville Works facility. The EPA also became involved in monitoring and assessing the situation.
Over 2,300 individual plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against DuPont and Chemours in two consolidated cases alleging that the Fayetteville Works plant has contaminated properties with PFAS.
The plaintiffs claim that the 2,000-acre plant has been releasing large amounts of PFAS since 1980 into groundwater, surface water, soil, and air. The first six “bellwether” cases are expected to go to trial in 2024.
In New Hampshire, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics has been the subject of lawsuits and regulatory actions related to PFAS emissions from its manufacturing plant located in Merrimack. Saint-Gobain is a multinational company that produces a variety of products, including plastics and performance materials.
The contamination issue arose when elevated levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), both types of PFAS, were detected in the groundwater near the Saint-Gobain facility. The contamination raised concerns about potential health risks to nearby residents who relied on private wells for drinking water.
Residents and environmental advocacy groups filed lawsuits against Saint-Gobain, alleging that the company’s emissions of PFAS had contaminated local water sources and caused harm to residents’ health and property values. The lawsuits sought damages and compensation for medical monitoring and remediation costs.
The company agreed to fund the installation of water treatment systems for affected residents, provide alternative water supplies, and undertake environmental remediation efforts to mitigate PFAS contamination in the area.
The water contamination issue in Parkersburg, West Virginia, is closely associated with a chemical plant owned by DuPont (now Chemours) located nearby. The plant had been producing a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8, since the 1950s. PFOA is a type of PFAS and was used in the production of Teflon, a non-stick coating for cookware, among other products.
The contamination in Parkersburg stemmed from the release of PFOA and other chemicals from the DuPont plant into the environment, primarily through air emissions and waste disposal practices. These chemicals contaminated the local water supply, soil, and air, leading to widespread exposure among residents in the area.
The contamination came to public attention through a series of legal actions and investigations. In 2001, residents of Parkersburg filed a class-action lawsuit against DuPont, alleging that the company’s emissions of PFOA had contaminated their drinking water and caused various health problems. This led to a series of court cases and settlements.
As a result of legal actions and regulatory scrutiny, DuPont phased out its use of PFOA and other long-chain PFAS chemicals. Additionally, the company agreed to fund medical monitoring programs and pay settlements to affected residents. Furthermore, in 2017, Chemours, a spinoff of DuPont, assumed responsibility for addressing the environmental impacts of the contamination in Parkersburg and other affected areas.
The Parkersburg water contamination incident has been widely studied and has raised awareness about the potential health and environmental risks associated with PFAS exposure.
Developed Cancer from PFAS and PFOS?
If you or a loved one worked as a firefighter, military personnel, airport worker, and were exposed to the firefighting foam chemicals and developed any of the following serious medical diseases and cancers, Testicular Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Breast Cancer, Liver Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Disease (Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism), Graves Disease, Hashimoto’s Disease then the Dr. Shezad Malik Law Firm is here to help with filing a PFAS Contamination Lawsuit.
You can speak with one of our representatives by calling 214-390-3189, or by filling out the case evaluation form on this page.
Our law firm’s principal office is in Dallas and we have offices in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr Shezad Malik Law Firm represents clients in dangerous drug and dangerous medical device lawsuits nationwide.
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