Maryland sues Gore-Tex manufacturer over contamination with toxic ‘permanent chemicals’

The state of Maryland is suing a company that makes Gore-Tex, a waterproof material commonly used in raincoats and other outdoor gear, saying the company’s leaders refused to use it long after learning of the serious health risks associated with it. The lawsuit alleges that the company continued to use “permanent chemicals.”

The complaint, filed in federal court last week, focuses on a group of 13 facilities in northeastern Maryland operated by Delaware-based WL Gore & Associates. The company alleges that it contaminated the air and water around its facilities with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, endangering the health of surrounding communities while making profits.

The lawsuit is in addition to other claims filed in recent years against Gore on behalf of Cecil County residents in 2023 related to decades of harmful pollution in the largely rural area. The lawsuits include class action lawsuits seeking damages for water filtration systems, medical bills and other damages.

“PFAS have been linked to cancer, weakened immune systems, and may even negatively impact a person’s ability to have children,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for any company to knowingly contaminate drinking water with these toxins and put Marylanders at risk for serious health conditions.”

Gore spokeswoman Donna Reinwand Ledger said the company is confident that the Maryland attorney general will initiate legal action, especially given its active and intensive engagement with state regulators over the past two years. I am surprised by the decision.”

The company said in a statement: “We are committed to working with the State of Maryland to assess the potential impacts of our operations using reliable, up-to-date science and technology in an ongoing, collaborative effort to protect the environment. “We have been guided by this,” he said, referring to the December 18 statement. This report contains approximately two years’ worth of groundwater test results.

But Philip Federico, an attorney representing plaintiffs in the class action and other lawsuits against Gore, said the company’s efforts are “too little, too late.” In the meantime, residents continue to suffer, he said. One of his customers was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer.

“This is classic corporate pollution,” he says. “They’re not in a hurry to solve the problem.”

Synthetic chemicals are especially harmful because they are nearly indestructible and can accumulate in various environments, including in the human body. In addition to cancer and immune system problems, exposure to certain levels of PFAS has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, reproductive health problems and developmental delays in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Hoping to protect corporate image and avoid liability, Gore leaders failed to warn people living near the Maryland facility about the potential impact, according to the state’s lawsuit. The result is a “detrimental legacy for future generations,” the lawsuit alleges.

Since the chemicals are already present in the local environment, protecting residents now requires installing complex and expensive water filtration systems. People who own private wells have found extremely high concentrations of dangerous chemicals in their water, according to a class action lawsuit.

The Maryland facility is located across the border in rural Delaware, where Gore has long been a fixture in the community. The company, which currently employs more than 13,000 people, was founded in 1958 by Wilbert Gore after he left chemical giant DuPont to go out on his own.

Its popularity increased with the development of Gore-Tex, a lightweight waterproof material made from stretched polytetrafluoroethylene. Gore-Tex is best known for its brand name Teflon, which is used to coat nonstick pans. The membrane within Gore-Tex fabric has billions of pores smaller than a water droplet, making it especially effective for outdoor gear.

The state’s complaint traces a long-standing relationship between Gore and DuPont, alleging that information about the chemical’s dangers was already known within both companies in an effort to keep things quiet and increase profits. There is. DuPont scientists claim that they knew as early as 1961 that the chemical caused adverse liver reactions in rats and dogs.

DuPont has faced extensive litigation in recent years. Last year, the company announced a $1.18 billion deal with two spinoff companies to resolve complaints that it is contaminating many U.S. drinking water systems with permanent chemicals.

Maryland’s lawsuit seeks to hold Gore liable for costs and other damages related to the state’s ongoing investigation and cleanup efforts. State scrutiny has increased following lawsuits by residents who claim their drinking water has been contaminated.

Until then, the company operated with little oversight in Cecil County.

In 2014, Gore announced that it had eliminated perfluorooctanoic acid from the raw materials used to make Gore-Tex. But it remains in the environment for so long that it still causes long-term effects, lawyers say.

Over the past two years, Gore has hired an environmental consulting firm to conduct inspections in the area and provide bottled water and filtration system.

State officials said recent testing of drinking water at homes near certain Gore sites found levels of perfluorooctanoic acid far above levels considered safe by the EPA.

Lawyers for the state acknowledged Gore’s continued efforts to investigate and address the problem, but said the company needs to step up and be a better neighbor.

“We appreciate Gore’s limited investigation to determine the extent of PFAS contamination around the facility, but to protect the health of our community and residents,” Maryland Secretary of the Environment Selina McIlwain said in a statement. More needs to be done.” “We urgently need to remove these permanent chemicals from our natural resources, and we expect responsible parties to pay for this remediation.”

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