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The PFAS Drinking Water Contamination Lawsuit
PFAS Lawyer Tracy Paulsen is fighting for justice for victims of a devastating epidemic in the United States: PFAS Contaminated Drinking Water. Across the country., per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for “forever chemicals” have seeped into the drinking water supply and injured millions of innocent people who have not even heard about the harmful life-threatening effects of PFAS exposure to humans.
People all across the United States who trusted their drinking water was safe have been exposed to these harmful chemicals. For some of them, PFAS exposure has caused devastating and life-threatening health effects like:
● Liver cancer,
● Kidney cancer,
● Thyroid cancer,
● Testicular cancer, and
● Ulcerative colitis.
For PFAS Lawsuit Attorney Tracy Paulsen, representing those harmed by PFAS drinking water contamination is a fight for justice. It is Rightful Legal’s mission to hold the polluting manufacturers who knew of the dangers of PFAS responsible for their wrongdoing and influence more protective regulations and legislation, oversight and enforcement in the future. Attorney Paulsen and her team at PFAS Law Firm Rightful Legal will Fight for Your Rights and bad actors who have harmed you and your family liable for their wrongdoing.
If you believe you were affected by one of the diseases above from exposure to PFAS through your drinking water, Contact Rightful Legal today. Call or Text PFAS Lawsuit Attorney Paulsen Directly at 617-821-5856.
What is PFAS?
- PFAS are a group of synthetic chemicals used since the 1940s in various industrial and consumer products, such as nonstick cookware, waterproof clothing, and firefighting foam.
- They are often called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily in the environment or the human body, remaining indefinitely and building up over time. For some people, the exposure to PFAS will lead to adverse health effects.
- The most commonly detected PFAS compounds include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS), and newer replacement chemicals like GenX.
- These chemicals differ in their molecular structures but share a critical feature: a fully fluorinated carbon chain that makes them extraordinarily resistant to breaking down in both environmental and biological systems.
How does PFAS Contaminate Drinking Water?
PFAS can enter drinking water supplies through various pathways:
- Industrial Discharges: Factories that manufacture or use PFAS may release these chemicals into nearby water sources.
- Firefighting Foam: PFAS-containing foams used at military bases, airports, and firefighting training sites can leach into groundwater.
- Landfills and Wastewater: PFAS from discarded products and wastewater can infiltrate water supplies. Once in the water, PFAS persist due to their chemical stability and resistance to degradation.
What is a Mass Tort Lawsuit?
A mass tort lawsuit involves numerous plaintiffs suing one or more defendants over similar injuries caused by a common product or action. Unlike class-action lawsuits, where plaintiffs are treated as a single group, mass tort litigation allow individual claims to be tried separately while consolidating pretrial proceedings for efficiency.
Current Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) Involving PFAS in the U.S.
The PFAS MDL consolidates hundreds of lawsuits filed against chemical manufacturers like 3M and DuPont. These cases involve claims of PFAS contamination in drinking water and resulting health and environmental damages.
- Key issues include holding manufacturers accountable for knowingly releasing harmful substances and securing compensation for affected communities.
- In 2023, a tentative settlement was reached, with 3M agreeing to pay up to $12.5 billion over time to address claims related to PFAS contamination in public water systems.
- The MDL is centralized in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina.
- The PFAS drinking water contamination MDL, MDL-2873, consolidated hundreds of individual lawsuits against manufacturers of products containing PFAS chemicals.
While these cases share common issues, each plaintiff maintains their individual claim with specific damages and circumstances. This differs from a class action where all plaintiffs would need to have sufficiently similar damages to be treated as one group. In the PFAS MDL, each plaintiff can decide whether to accept or reject any settlement offer independently.
If you have suffered PFAS related injuries and drank from a contaminated source, you may be eligible for the PFAS Drinking Water Contamination Lawsuit.
What Compensation can be Claimed in a PFAS Lawsuit?
Victims can receive compensation including:
- Past and future lost wages
- Past and future medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Potential punitive damages.
Each case is unique, and compensation depends on the individual circumstances.
The value of an average PFAS personal injury claim can range anywhere from $175,000 to $325,000, and $500,000 and upwards depending upon the severity of the case.
Many factors can affect the value of a PFAS personal injury claim. One important factor is the severity of the disease, with more severe diseases leading to higher compensation. Other factors include the overall pain and suffering, age of the claimant, and the claimant’s individual circumstances.
Did the Manufacturers of PFAS, including DuPont and 3M, Aware of the Dangers of PFAS?
DuPont and 3M, major producers of PFAS-laden products, have been embroiled in extensive legal battles over the profound environmental and health crises their chemicals have caused. Under growing pressure from lawsuits, both companies have reached high-profile settlements to address the damage they caused to innocent people.
In 2023, 3M consented to pay up to $12.5 billion over 13 years, a deal ostensibly intended to aid public water suppliers in detecting and managing PFAS contamination. While framed as a step toward remediation, this settlement can also be seen as an attempt to shield 3M from broader liability. Many argue that this payout, stretched over more than a decade, may not adequately compensate for the pervasive and enduring harm caused by PFAS contamination.
DuPont and its affiliates similarly agreed to a $1.185 billion settlement aimed at resolving claims of PFAS contamination in drinking water. However, like 3M’s deal, this sum raises questions about whether it will truly address the scale of the damage or merely serve as a calculated cost of doing business for a corporation that has long prioritized profits over public safety.
These settlements, though substantial on paper, mark a begrudging acknowledgment of PFAS-related harm rather than a proactive effort to take responsibility. Decades of documented evidence show that both DuPont and 3M knew as early as the 1950s about the environmental persistence and health risks of PFAS.
Despite internal research linking these chemicals to severe health conditions, including cancer and developmental disorders, the companies not only continued production but allegedly concealed their findings from regulators and the public.
Internal memos and studies revealed that PFAS accumulates in human blood and poses long-term risks, yet DuPont and 3M allegedly chose to suppress this knowledge, putting their bottom lines ahead of public health. This willful neglect has led to widespread contamination of drinking water supplies, sparking outrage and a wave of lawsuits accusing the companies of negligence, public nuisance, and failure to warn.
The actions of DuPont and 3M have left a legacy of environmental devastation and public health crises. Their calculated disregard for clear evidence of harm underscores the urgent need for stricter regulations and more robust corporate accountability to prevent such misconduct in the future. For the affected communities, these settlements represent only a fraction of what is needed to address the ongoing harm and prevent further exposure to these toxic “forever chemicals.”
While the above settlements apply to environmental cases as part of the MDL, the personal injury cases have yet to settle. There is still time to bring a case and take control of your claim. Contact PFAS Lawsuit Attorney Tracy Paulsen today at 617-821-5856 or Contact Us online.
PFAS Drinking Water Regulations and Maximum PFAS Allowable Levels in Drinking Water
In 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2016 issued a health advisory level for two PFAS compounds—PFOA and PFOS—recommending no more than a total of 70 parts per trillion (ppt) in drinking water. While not enforceable, this advisory influenced water systems nationwide.
Later, in March 2023, the EPA proposed new regulations, aiming to establish enforceable Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for six PFAS compounds, including PFOA and PFOS, at 4 ppt each.
Last year, in 2024, the EPA finalized its regulation setting MCLs
- For six PFAS compounds, including PFOA and PFOS, at 4 ppt, and
- establishing a Hazard Index of 1 for any mixture containing two or more of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS.
These enforceable standards represent a significant tightening over the 2016 health advisory level, reflecting increased comprehension of PFAS toxicity and the necessity for stricter regulation requiring almost indetectable levels of PFAS in drinking water.
Despite these profoundly stricter limits, there is no amount of PFAS safe for human exposure and only six of thousands of these chemicals are being regulated. There are over 12,000 types of PFAS chemicals and new ones are being created every day.
Why You Should Contact a PFAS Drinking Water Contamination Attorney Now
First, You may be eligible to bring a claim and obtain Significant Compensation if:
- you have been diagnosed with kidney cancer, liver cancer, thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, or ulcerative colitis since 2000 AND
- you drank water contaminated with PFAS for at least six months since 1990.
And for those who have lost a loved one to qualifying
- kidney cancer,
- liver cancer,
- thyroid cancer,
- testicular cancer, or
- ulcerative colitis,
you could be eligible to bring a wrongful death lawsuit.
Second, So you can be part of the Fight Against the PFAS Manufacturers and Hold these Companies Accountable for the Unfathomable Harm they have Caused. Every Human Deserves Safe Drinking Water and the Truth About What’s in the Their Water.
If eligible, you should engage an experienced PFAS Drinking Water Contamination Lawyer as soon as possible. Proving causation by PFAS-contaminated drinking water is difficult, and polluting manufacturers fight dirty to escape responsibility. PFAS Lawsuit Attorney Tracy Paulsen and PFAS Law Firm Rightful Legal are dedicated to holding PFAS contaminators accountable for the injuries they have inflicted on unsuspecting citizens.
It is important to act swiftly if you are eligible. There are statutes of limitations for filing a personal injury claim, including those caused by PFAS contamination in drinking water. The applicable time limit begins ticking the moment your injury is discovered or may have been discovered. These rules are complex and vary by state and the circumstances of your case. This is why it is imperative to contact a PFAS Contamination Lawsuit Lawyer today. Because PFAS remain in the human body for long periods of time, your exposure could have been many years before your injury was discovered. Even if your local drinking water is now decontaminated, you could still be discovering the damage done by PFAS contamination.
Contact a compassionate and accomplished PFAS Water Contamination Attorney at Rightful Legal today. You must be careful not to run out of time and lose your only chance to obtain compensation. Rightful Legal can help you calculate the exact date your injury was discovered and take action before time runs out.
Why Trust PFAS law firm Rightful Legal with Your PFAS Case?
At Rightful Legal, we provide a private, no-cost, no-obligation consultation to help you understand your case. In fact, You Only Pay if You Win.
Rightful Legal also understands the complex science behind PFAS injuries, and our team is passionate about environmental protection and law. Attorney Tracy Paulsen graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in Environmental Science and Suffolk Law School with a focus in Environmental Law. She brings experience in Environmental Science, Law and Litigation to every case.
Finally, Attorney Paulsen has extensive experience in mass torts, having worked previously for the manufacturer liable for the product and the harm. She now works solely for the people harmed by such large corporations, protecting their legal rights. Attorney Paulsen understands deeply that victims are just numbers to these corporations. She also knows how to fight back and hold polluting manufacturers accountable for the harm they have caused to unsuspecting people.
At Rightful Legal, our team has worked on mass tort and environmental cases for fifteen years, including those cases involving PFAS drinking water contamination. We are standing by to assess your case, collect evidence, estimate damages, handle all necessary filings, negotiate fair settlements, and, if necessary, represent you in court. Do not wait. It is crucial that you act quickly to protect your claim.
Call 617-821-5856 or contact our PFAS Water Contamination Attorneys at Rightful Legal immediately online. We provide free and confidential consultations tailored to each victim’s case. Attorney Paulsen’s mission is to help you obtain the Compensation and Justice you deserve.
