Attorney General Alan Wilson sues over toxic "forever chemicals"

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – Attorney General Alan Wilson today filed suit against several companies, including 3M and DuPont, to hold them accountable for knowingly contaminating South Carolina’s natural resources and drinking water through toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.

“I’m a firm believer in the free market, but when companies knowingly violate the law and harm South Carolinians in the process, there deserves to be consequences. By filing this suit, we’re fighting to protect our valuable natural resources and keep South Carolinians safe,” said Attorney General Alan Wilson.

PFAS are a group of synthetic chemical compounds that don’t occur naturally in the environment. They are used for a wide array of consumer products, such as food packaging and non-stick cookware, and for industrial uses like textile, electronic, and automotive manufacturing.

The complaint states, “Despite knowing for decades that PFAS chemicals are toxic, Defendants have misled the public and government regulators by consistently and publicly denying that their PFAS products presented any harm to human health or the environment. By purposefully sending toxic chemicals into South Carolina while misleading the public and commercial and industrial users about their properties and known risks, the Defendants have caused widespread contamination and injuries to State natural resources. [PFAS chemicals] contaminate South Carolina’s drinking water, groundwater, surface water, wildlife, soil, and sediment.”

Through this action, Attorney General Wilson is seeking to hold these companies accountable and award South Carolina damages for the decades of injury to South Carolina’s natural resources and public safety caused by the toxic forever chemicals.

You can read the full complaint here.