Indiana AG sues companies behind ‘forever chemicals’ contamination
(WIBC) — Several counties across Indiana have been contaminated with toxic “forever chemicals,” and Indiana’s attorney general is suing the people responsible.
The “forever chemicals” are otherwise referred to as PFAS chemicals, said Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita in a Wednesday press conference. Rokita says the chemicals resist grease, oil, water and heat, basically allowing the chemicals to remain stable and toxic for years.
Rokita’s lawsuit is targeted at 22 companies responsible for developing the chemicals, not any product that the chemical may have found its way into. Unacceptable levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” have been found in over 20 Indiana counties and several military bases, Rokita says.
Grissom Air Force Base and Fort Benjamin Harrison were two sites named by the attorney general as contaminated sites. That means unacceptable levels of PFAS were found in soil, sediment and water.
“The case (lawsuit) focuses on manufacturers who knew they were dealing with toxic chemicals,” Rokita said. “Our mission is to make sure those who knew, the companies involved and doubled down on the spread of these harmful chemicals pay back through remediation, clean-up and educating everyday Hoosiers on the products they were handling.”
Rokita’s office said PFAS chemicals have been used since the 1920s, and that dozens of companies have not been truthful and transparent with Americans on their harmful effects. Rokita said that “exposure to PFAS may lead to numerous negative health effects, such as cancer, infertility, and childhood development issues.”
The following counties were named by Rokita as having confirmed high levels of PFAS contamination: Bartholomew, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Crawford, Decatur, Elkhart, Floyd, Gibson, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lake, LaPorte, Madison, Marion, Perry, Posey, Scott, St. Joseph, Sullivan, Vigo and Warrick.
The attorney general cited the 2019 film “Dark Waters” starring Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway for bringing the issues of “forever chemicals” and corruption to the national spotlight.