“The water is safe to drink,” said North Marshall Water District Roger Colburn. “The water we’re producing is in compliance with the proposed regulations, which are very stringent.”
Chemours said it would be responsible for half of the settlement costs, while DuPont would provide about $39 million. The agreement resolves Ohio's claims relating to the release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from the companies' facilities, including the Washington Works facility located along the Ohio-West Virginia border, Chemours said in a statement.
A U.S. appeals court on Monday handed 3M, Corteva Inc subsidiary E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co and other manufactures of toxic so-called "forever chemicals" a big win in their fight against legal liability for the substances, rejecting a lower court's ruling that would have allowed about 11.8 million Ohio residents to sue the companies as a group. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a lower court's approval of the massive class action, which included virtually every resident of Ohio and put considerable legal pressure on the chemical manufacturers to settle the plaintiffs' claims. The court found that lead plaintiff Kevin Hardwick filed too broad a complaint against the manufacturers, and had not shown per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, found in his body could be traced directly to defendants such as units of 3M, DuPont and others.
The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, delivered a favorable ruling on Monday, November 27, 2023, for 3M, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.,