ATLANTA – For decades, the corporate makers and users of “forever chemicals” used on carpet produced in Northwest Georgia have hidden the associated dangers, leading to a public health crisis, Murray County alleges in a new lawsuit.
In its complaint Monday, the county takes aim at chemical producers including 3M, Daikin and DuPont as well as carpet manufacturers including Mohawk and Shaw Industries. It claims the companies have known since the 1960s that the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances they make and use are toxic, and hid that fact while contaminated waste was dumped in the county landfill.
“Thanks to these and other failures by the chemical makers and users, all or substantially all the residents of Northwest Georgia effectively have Scotchgard, Stainmaster, and Teflon coursing through their veins, suppressing their immune systems and triggering debilitating and fatal illnesses,” the county says in its lawsuit…