New York sued 3M, DuPont and other major chemical and agricultural companies on Thursday, alleging they knowingly sold harmful so-called forever chemicals used in everyday consumer products while concealing the environmental and health risks for decades. The lawsuit marks the latest legal action targeting manufacturers of PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which have been linked to cancer and developmental delays in children.
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed the suit in state court in Albany on behalf of the state, accusing the defendants of causing a public nuisance by selling toxic chemicals for use in cosmetics, non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothing and food packaging. Beyond 3M and DuPont de Nemours, the lawsuit names Chemours, Corteva and EIDP, which were spun off from DuPont prior to the companies’ corporate restructuring. James is seeking a court order requiring the companies to fund cleanup efforts and properly warn consumers about the risks associated with forever chemicals. The state is also seeking damages, restitution and other penalties.
“For far too long, our communities have unfairly shouldered the costs of protecting people from these toxic forever chemicals and cleaning up their contamination,” James said in a statement.
The lawsuit alleges that in some cases, the companies were aware that the chemicals were toxic or could cause environmental damage, yet continued to profit from their sale. The state argues that manufacturers hid the chemicals’ environmental and health risks from consumers even as they began phasing out some of the most problematic PFAS compounds.
PFAS are a class of nearly 15,000 manufactured chemicals that have been used in industrial applications and consumer products since the 1940s. They are called “forever chemicals” because of their strong carbon-fluorine bonds that allow them to resist breaking down in the environment and in the human body. Scientists once considered them indestructible. The chemicals are found in everything from firefighting foam to carpet treatments and have spread into the nation’s air, water and soil. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, at least 45 percent of the nation’s tap water is estimated to have one or more types of PFAS.
The health effects of PFAS exposure have become increasingly documented by scientists. One of the biggest health concerns associated with PFOA, one common type of PFAS, is an increased risk of kidney cancer. Exposure to high levels of PFOS, another common form, has been associated with liver cancer. Other PFAS types have been shown in studies to damage the liver and kidneys, disrupt the thyroid system, and cause developmental issues in children. The Environmental Protection Agency now believes there is no safe level for two common PFAS—PFOA and PFOS—in drinking water.
The EPA established the first-ever national drinking water limits for PFAS in April 2024, setting a standard of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 parts per trillion for three other types of PFAS. Water systems have until 2029 to implement programs that bring their water into compliance with these standards. However, the EPA proposed in May 2026 to extend compliance deadlines to 2031 and to reconsider or roll back standards for some PFAS compounds, raising concerns among environmental groups and public health experts.
New York’s lawsuit arrives amid a wave of legal action targeting PFAS manufacturers. As of July 2026, there are over 15,000 lawsuits grouped together in federal court related to PFAS contamination. Fifteen different state attorneys general have filed lawsuits against companies they allege are responsible for PFAS contamination. Municipalities and individuals have filed hundreds of additional lawsuits against 3M and DuPont.
3M has settled multiple PFAS-related cases in recent years. In 2023, the company agreed to pay up to 12.5 billion dollars to settle lawsuits from public water suppliers across the country. In May 2025, 3M reached a settlement of up to 450 million dollars with New Jersey to resolve contamination claims at multiple sites, including the former DuPont manufacturing facility known as Chambers Works. The New Jersey settlement was described as the largest state-specific PFAS settlement at that time.
In August 2025, DuPont, Chemours and Corteva agreed to pay the state of New Jersey 875 million dollars over PFAS contamination concerns, also to be paid out over 25 years. These defendants remain involved in other ongoing litigation. The fact that New York is proceeding with its own lawsuit suggests that state officials believe additional accountability and remediation funding is needed.
The lawsuit also challenges the companies’ earlier phasing out of PFAS. While 3M announced in 2000 that it was voluntarily exiting PFOA and PFOS manufacturing, and pledged in 2022 to discontinue all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025, critics argue that companies replaced older PFAS with newer alternatives that may carry similar risks but remain poorly studied. As some of the main PFAS chemicals have been phased out, they have been replaced by others that may expose people to comparable health risks.
Contacted by the media on Thursday, 3M, DuPont, Corteva and Chemours did not immediately respond to requests for comment.