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The British Columbia government has filed a class-action lawsuit against manufacturers of so-called “forever chemicals” involved in what it calls widespread contamination of drinking water systems.
Attorney General Niki Sharma says the province is the first Canadian jurisdiction to sue makers of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS chemicals.
BC has filed similar class action lawsuits in the past, targeting tobacco companies in 1998 and opioid makers in 2018 to recoup health care costs associated with these substances.
Sharma said in a statement that the province is filing the lawsuit to “ensure that companies that caused the problem and profited from these chemicals pay their fair share.”
The lawsuit is against twelve companies, including those linked to chemical giants 3M, DuPont and BASF.
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It says the defendants knew that if their products were used as directed, they would “release toxic PFAS chemicals, contaminate the environment for centuries and pose a significant threat to human health.”
“The defendants failed to warn the Canadian public of the dangers of their PFAS-containing products, nor did they take steps to modify or eliminate their products to prevent these harms – instead, they concealed and affirmed the known dangers contradicted in public statements and marketing campaigns. designed to enrich themselves at the expense of the public,” says the lawsuit filed Friday in BC Supreme Court in Vancouver.
According to the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, exposure to PFAS products can lead to childhood obesity, a weakened immune system and certain types of cancer.
Madjid Mohseni, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of BC, said PFAS products are “very ubiquitous” in everyday life and can be found in many consumer products.
These include nonstick cookware and food containers with waxy coatings, waterproof clothing and stain-resistant carpets, Mohseni said.
He said the chemicals contain a carbon-fluorine bond, the strongest bond in organic chemistry, earning them the nickname “forever chemical.”
“These carbon-fluorine compounds are extremely resilient and extremely strong, they cannot be easily broken down,” he said.
“Once you manufacture these products, they are very difficult to break down and dispose of, meaning they remain in the environment for years.”
Mohseni said research has linked the chemicals to health problems including thyroid disease, kidney disease and cancer.
“They make our lives very easy and convenient. Unfortunately, the downside is that they damage our environment and also our public health,” Mohseni said.
— By Chuck Chiang and Nono Shen in Vancouver
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
