W.Va. suit filed over exposure to firefighting foam

摘要

Seven companies have been named in a lawsuit related to the contamination of a West Virginia city's watersupply from firefighting foam.The lawsuit filed by Charles Town attorney Stephen Skinner in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District ofWest Virginia seeks damages for exposing Martinsburg residents to chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkylsubstances, or PFAS. Among the defendants in the lawsuit filed last month in federal court were 3M Co., DuPontCo. and Chemours Co.Last year, the Air Force agreed to reimburse $4.9 million to Martinsburg for expenses related to the 2016 cleanupof hazardous chemicals from the city's water supply. A statement at the time from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (RW.Va.) said the source of the contamination was firefighting foam used by the Air National Guard at the EasternRegional Airport to put out oil-based fires.EPA identified high levels of contamination linked to PFAS and mandated that additional water filtration systemsbe installed at a treatment plant, Capito's release said.