Michigan Sues 17 Companies In PFAS Lawsuit

Seventeen. Yesterday, Michigan announced lawsuits targeted a full seventeen companies in the state for PFAS contamination. This is huge.

First, there is the symbolic importance. The lawsuit sends a signal to all companies that poisoning the communities that support them isn’t a way to do business. It says that the government, elected by the people, will not sit idly by while families and natural resources are put at risk. It also sets an important precedent for other contamination and pollution issues that extend beyond the PFAS issue. It’s important to remember how long the dangers of these ‘forever chemicals’ were kept hidden, and they serve as a warning that other companies may be sitting on information of other chemical pollutes we may only find out about in the years and decades to come.

There are practical, financial benefits to the suit as well. Each year, Michigan spends approximately $25 million cleaning up PFAS contamination. That’s money better spent on schools, on the state’s crumbling roads and infrastructure, social programs and almost anything besides cleaning up after rich companies. These externalities should limit or handicap Michigan families for generations to come. These lawsuits are vital in forcing businesses to take accountability for their actions publically and with their pocketbook.

Crucial to the success of the lawsuit will be proving that the companies knowingly polluted, a fact that has been proven in a number of other cases, including that by Less Cancer board member Rob Billet against DuPont and 3M. This is a case that we’re all invested in, too. The state believes that as many as 1.9 million Michiganders are drinking water with at least some level of PFAS contamination, sourced by 74 confirmed contaminated sites. Many of these sites are located near manufacturers, industrial dye companies, and military bases. The state asserts that all of the seventeen companies named in the suit knowingly suppressed or hid information about the dangers and the extent of the contamination, which includes not just drinking water but natural wells, waterways, soil, and natural resources in nearly every county.

Nearly two million people could be just the tip of the iceberg. The state still has over 2.5 million people from untested public wells, which means the number of contaminated water sources could double upon further investigation.

Clean water is right, and it saves lives. It prevents cancer. And it’s simply human.