Based on settlement for violation of state health limit on presence PFOA chemicalNew Jersey residents will receive Millionaire compensation. amount $4.9 million It will be distributed to approximately 60,000 customers affected by water pollution.
The amount is tens of thousands of Residents of the area It was specified in Legal agreement. The accused case Middlesex Water Company and chemical manufacturer 3M to Exceeding the state health limit on the presence of PFOA.
according to New Jersey Spotlight NewsCompanies They agreed to the $1 million amount approximately four years after the complaint was filed In New Jersey state court.
While the money will be distributed to affected customers, it does not apply to the case of injury.
Determined amount Compensating residents for the cost of purchasing bottled water, Install filtration systems also Consult doctors. The measures came after Middlesex Water informed them in October 2021 that their drinking water had exceeded “Maximum pollution“.
According to the method mentioned above, People affected by the situation will receive up to US$2,500. some They will get lessBecause it depends on the measures they have taken to avoid drinking, bathing or cooking with contaminated water.
he PFOA has been used in the United States in many consumer goods for its heat-resistant properties.. Although it stopped, it eventually seeped into aquifers and contaminated drinking water. Now utility companies remove it through activated carbon filtration treatments.
Turn The chemical persists in humans with a half-life of several years And it was found In the serum of almost the entire population of the United Statesaccording to research published in the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
In 2020, Garden State It set a final limit for the presence of PFOA in water at 14 parts per billion. This range is one of the most stringent in the entire United States.
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) website, it applies to public water systems, including community public systems and non-community transitional public systems.
A year later A class action lawsuit was filed against the company for exceeding the permissible limit. At that time, it Recorded levels of up to 36.1 ppb of PFOAany Much higher than the official figure.
The water system supplies six towns in New Jersey, so the contamination has affected tens of thousands of people.
In 2022, Middlesex She disputed the complaint and said she was not responsible for the pollution. instead of, He blamed 3M He made a separate accusation, which was later It was settled as part of the new agreement.
An excess of PFOA in the overall system has various consequences for those who drink water. The New Jersey Department of Health, in statements reported by the aforementioned media, clarified the matter Health effects.
“People who consume water with PFOA levels above the specified limit for an extended period can be exposed to it Complications of cholesterol levels in the blood, liver, kidneys and immune system Or in the case of men Reproductive systemThe agency warned.
For women, according to the NJDOH, prolonged exposure to PFOA can lead to a delay in the development of the fetus or infant.
These consequences can persist in older children. Additionally, the CDC notes that epidemiological evidence suggests associations between… Increased exposure to the pollutant and the following problems:
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