Cumberland County filed a lawsuit last Friday against Chemours Chemical Companies and DuPont Chemical Companies, alleging that the companies caused severe groundwater contamination in the county.
Crueger Dickinson, L.L.C. is the law firm. Baron & Budd, P.C., also filed the lawsuit for Cumberland County.
DuPont’s Cumberland County facility has been in existence since the 1960s. DuPont began releasing a chemical known to as PFOA into Cape Fear River around 1980. PFOA, a type PFAS chemical, was also known as a “forever” chemical because they don’t naturally break down and accumulate in the body and blood of animals and humans. After DuPont’s failure to disclose information about the risk it poses to human health or the environment, PFOA had to be phased out in 2005. In 2009, the company began using GenX, another type PFAS substance, as it claimed it was safer. The E.P.A. however, stated that GenX was not safer. Since then, the E.P.A. stated that GenX is associated with an increased risk for health problems in animal research, including issues in kidney, liver and immune systems. It can also increase your risk of developing cancer.
2017 was a year of promises by Chemours to safely remove contaminants from the drinking water source.
North Carolina filed a lawsuit against DuPont, Chemours and Chemours in October 2020. They claimed they knew about the health risks associated with GenX. Officials in North Carolina announced in August that Chemours exceeded limits on the amount of GenX it’s Fayetteville facility was emitting. They were fined $300,000.
The Complaint alleges that these toxic chemicals were released into the air, groundwater, or surface water for many decades.
“These companies used the Fayetteville Work facility as a dumping ground to dump hundreds of chemicals, while assuring E.P.A. The Complaint claims that the state agencies and the companies involved claimed that they were doing nothing like this.
According to the county officials, these chemicals were detected in two elementary schools. This has impacted thousands Cumberland County residents who depend on groundwater wells for water.
Up & Coming WeeklyThe lawsuit was brought to my attention by the Chemours Company F.C., L.L.C., DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Corteva, Inc., but I have not heard back.
