SPOKANE, Wash. – The City of Spokane announced that it has joined a lawsuit against commercial manufacturers that allegedly sold products which contaminated water supplies on Tuesday.
Spokane is one of several municipal and state governments to join in a lawsuit initially brought by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in 2023. The suit claims that the 3M Company, the Buckeye Equipment Company, Chemguard and several other prominent product manufacturers sold items which contained polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS are potentially harmful to people and the environment.
“PFAS are widely used, long lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time…Scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals,” the agency’s website states.
The initial lawsuit establishes the main claim which has led city and state governments to sue chemical manufacturers.
“PFAS spread quickly…and they persist in the environment because they have strong and stable carbon-fluorine bonds that resist natural degradation processes. Once present in the environment, PFAS are difficult and costly to remove and present health hazards to humans and animals,” Wilson said in an Oct. 2023 court filing.
According to the City of Spokane, PFAS have impacted water supplies within municipal limits.
“There have been low-level detections of these chemicals at two well locations — the Ray Street Well near Ray and 23rd Ave and Grace Well at the City’s Water Department on North Foothills,” the city said.
Spokane could secure funding for PFAS cleanup efforts. In June, 3M agreed to pay $10.3 billion to clean several water systems. If proceedings move in favor of the plaintiffs, a funding boost for the improvement of the city’s water systems could be in store in the next few years.
