April 10, 2021 11:44:41 am
The State of Alaska sued over thirty chemical compound manufacturers Wednesday after it was discovered that the state’s groundwater was being contaminated by toxic chemicals.
The 38-page complaint alleges that the defendant companies knowingly produced highly toxic chemicals known as PFAS (which include PFOS and PFOA) and released the compounds into the environment through their products. These chemicals are manmade substances which spread quickly throughout ecosystems, are toxic at very low levels, and can take a long period of time to break down. Communities located near military bases and industrial sites bear significantly higher environmental and health risks as a result of these chemicals because the toxic substances are widely used in industrial fire extinguishers commonly found near to airports and other industrial sites.