Bruce Shippkovsky
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — DuPont and two other companies will pay New Jersey up to $2 billion to resolve environmental claims caused by PFA, commonly referred to as “eternal chemicals,” the company announced Monday.
State Environment Commissioner Sean Latourette said the contract with DuPont, Kemoul and Corteva is the largest settlement in the state’s history. Companies are seeking to pay $875 million over 25 years and create a correction fund of more than $1.2 billion. The company splits the costs based on the transaction, which must still be approved by the court.
PFA, or Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been around for decades and are now a group of chemicals that have spread across the country’s air, water and soil. They are commonly referred to as “eternal chemicals.”
DuPont said the settlement will resolve “all pending environmental and other claims” for “heritage” pollution claims at four sites operating within the province. The state comes months later that the state has agreed to pay $450 million to resolve a lawsuit relating to natural resource pollution derived from PFA.
“We can expect that contaminants who profit beyond the happiness of their citizens by releasing toxic PFAs and other pollution in our states will be responsible for cleaning up their disruption and fully compensate the nation and its citizens for the valuable natural resources that have been damaged or destroyed,” Latourette said.
PFA was manufactured by companies such as 3M, Chemours, because it was very convenient. They helped eggs slip across the nonstick frying pan, ensured that firefighters bubbles choked the flames, helped clothes withstand the rain, and kept people dry.
However, chemicals break and break. That is, it remains in the environment.
Environmental activists say they knew about the health hazards of PFA long before the PFAS makers were made public. The same attributes that make chemicals extremely valuable – resistance to failure – are at risk to people.
PFA accumulates in the body. Therefore, the Environmental Protection Agency has set a limit of four parts of drinking water per 4 trillion units for two common types (PFOA and PFO) that exist in the environment, although production is in stages.
Original issue: August 4, 2025, 5:34pm EDT
