MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to force nearly 20 companies that he alleges contaminated the environment with chemicals known as PFAS to reimburse the state for investigations and cleanup efforts.
The lawsuit, filed in Dane County circuit court, names 18 companies as defendants, including Maplewood-based 3M, Tyco Fire Products and BASF Corp. The filing alleges the defendants knew or should have known that their products would have a dangerous impact on the public's health and environment.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages as well as reimbursement for the costs of investigations, cleanup and remediation.
"To this day, the state continues to take necessary actions to protect its natural resources and its residents from harm caused by PFAS contamination," the lawsuit states. "The state and its taxpayers will need to spend billions of dollars remediating the dangerous PFAS contamination caused by defendants' wrongful, deceptive and tortious conduct."
3M communications manager Sean Lynch said in a statement the company acted responsibly and will "vigorously defend its record of environmental stewardship."
PFAS is an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The chemicals were developed as coatings to protect consumer goods from stains, water and corrosion. Nonstick cookware, carpets, outdoor gear and food packaging are among items that contain the chemicals. They also are an ingredient in firefighting foams.
They're often described as "forever chemicals" because some don't degrade naturally and are believed to be capable of lingering indefinitely in the environment. Research suggests that they may cause health problems in humans.
3M stopped making two controversial PFAS compounds — PFOA and PFOS — in 2002, and company officials say the current generation of the chemicals do not pose health risks.
