For years, the business producers and users of “forever chemicals” used on rugs produced in , Northwest Georgia , have hidden the related dangers, leading to a public health issue,  , Murray County , alleges in a new complaint.
In its issue Monday, the state takes aim at chemical manufacturers including 3M, Daikin and , DuPont , as well as floor producers including , Mohawk and Shaw Industries. It asserts that the businesses have been aware of the toxicity of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances they produce and use since the 1960s and that they have kept it a secret while poisoned spare was dumped in the county landfill.
” Owing to these and other problems by the chemical manufacturers and users, all or substantially all the residents of , Northwest Georgia , effectively have Scotchgard, Stainmaster, and Teflon flowing through their veins, suppressing their immune systems and triggering crippling and deadly illnesses”, the region says in its complaint.
Reps for the corporations sued by , Murray County , did not immediately respond Monday to questions. A spokeswoman for , DuPont , noted that its president,  , E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., is the object sued by , Murray County, under the new name , EIPD Inc.  , He said E. I. du Pont de Nemours operated its effectiveness substances business until it was spun out and became , the Chemours Co.  , in 2015.
Murray County’s case, which also includes claims against Chemours, is the latest in a growing legal battle stemming from the use of chemicals known as PFAS in Georgia’s carpet manufacturing industry. The county sits between , Dalton , and , Ellijay , and extends to the , Tennessee , line. It has a population of almost 40, 000.
The chemicals, also used in nonstick pans, firefighting foams and some food wrappers, do not break down in nature and have been increasingly , linked to fertility problems, developmental delays and increased risk of certain cancers.
Attorneys representing , Murray County , and others involved in pending litigation have  , assembled a team , of lawyers, water experts and consumer advocates including , Erin Brockovich, whose fight against , Pacific Gas &, Electric Co.  , inspired an Oscar-winning film.
3M has  , pledged to cease making PFAS , by the end of 2025. It , agreed to pay , up to$ 12.5 billion to public water suppliers.
In 2023,  , DuPont , and associated companies , announced a$ 1 billion settlement  , to end PFAS-related drinking water claims. In 2005,  , DuPont , paid$ 10 million  , to settle , U. S. Environmental Protection Agency , claims that it failed to report PFAS-related risks.
Murray County’s complaint comes on the heels of a lawsuit Mohawk itself filed in a , Whitfield County , court against 3M, Daikin and other chemical makers, alleging they concealed the dangers of PFAS from users.
In its complaint,  , Murray County , says it wants the defendant companies to foot the bill for the necessary clean up, claiming they made billions of dollars from PFAS-tainted products.
” The PFAS in and around the county’s landfill, which are migrating into the waters of the state of , Georgia, must be contained, captured and destroyed”, the county said in its suit.
Dozens of water systems in , Georgia , — from small providers in , Chatsworth , and , Summerville , in , North Georgia , to larger ones serving cities like , Augusta , and , Columbus , — have already uncovered PFAS levels in their water that could exceed safe levels.
Murray County , alleges in its complaint that its landfill is “pickled” in PFAS, which migrate daily into waterways through stormwater runoff, groundwater and landfill” juice” called leachate, in which PFAS levels are “off the charts”. A map of the county’s complaint shows dozens of PFAS-positive water sources close to the landfill.
Earlier this year, the small , North Georgia , city of , Calhoun , agreed to overhaul its water system as part of a legal settlement  , with the Coosa River Basin Initiative.
The city of , Dalton, known as” the carpet and flooring capital of the world”, is , pursuing its own water pollution case , against 3M, Daikin, EIPD, Chemours,  , Shaw Industries , and others.
Rome , has been , grappling with PFAS in its water system , for years. It , settled PFAS claims against 3M for$ 75 million  , in 2023. More than 30 other defendants also , settled with the city.
Jarrod Johnson, a , Rome , resident, has separately been notching agreements with various companies to improve water quality in his community as part of a proposed class action against dozens of alleged polluters, including 3M, Mohawk and Daikin.
Johnson’s case has been pending before a federal judge in the , Northern District , of , Georgia , since the start of 2020. His agreements with some of the defendants ‘ parties include promises not to discharge PFAS-containing wastewater into public water treatment facilities and river protection initiatives.
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