Major food producer hit with lawsuit after contaminating local water supply: 'Every day that goes by, people's risk of getting cancer ... continues'

A major farm has been slapped with a lawsuit for its discharge of forever chemicals in its wastewater, according to WUSA9. 

What's happening?

Perdue Farms is under investigation in Maryland for contaminating the water supplies of neighbors via its wastewater processing. Groundwater and a stream bordering the farm are allegedly affected. A class-action lawsuit against Perdue on the matter is expected to take years. 

In the meantime, lawyers representing the residents have sent a letter to Perdue demanding action within 90 days pending the investigation, or else they will go to a federal judge to force the limitation of sludge fertilizer use. 

Why are forever chemicals important?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a wide grouping of chemicals that have been dubbed "forever chemicals" because of their persistence in ecosystems and bodies. They're typically used in anti-stick coating like Teflon, water-resistant fabrics, cosmetics, food packaging, and potentially in this case, sewage. Exposure to these toxic chemicals has shown links to infertility and cancer.

Perdue's case is far from an isolated incident. One Alabama woman suffered multiple heart issues related to exposure to PFAS in her water. An abandoned property in South Carolina remained an ongoing source of forever chemical contamination to nearby communities. 

What's being done about forever chemicals?

Broadly, legislation is possible. Canada has been taking legal steps to protect consumers against forever chemicals. German insurance providers are dialing back coverage of companies being subject to PFAS-related lawsuits. Conversely, the EPA recently rolled back water regulations that would protect Americans from some PFAS. 

Perdue said it is providing bottled water and filtration systems to 356 affected homes and is nearly finished testing the wells of 920 homes. 

Residents say this is still not enough, so long as its waste management hasn't changed. 

"Every day that goes by, people's risk of getting cancer and other health problems from PFAS-contaminated groundwater continues," said attorney Phil Federico, per WUSA9. "We've got to get them clean water now and stop this. This risk that they're being exposed to."

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