Vermont Sues DuPont, 3M, Others Over Chemical Pollutants

Vermont announced Thursday that it’s filed lawsuits against DuPont, 3M and other chemical companies for damages it says was caused to groundwater, drinking water and other natural resources by the contamination of a class of potentially toxic chemicals.

The two lawsuits over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination were filed Wednesday.

The man-made chemical contamination was first discovered in drinking water wells around two former factories in the Bennington area in 2016. Since then, Vermont state has found contamination in public water systems and private wells in Pownal, Clarendon, Shaftsbury, and at a school in Warren, officials said.

"These lawsuits allege that despite knowing for decades that these chemicals were dangerous and harmful, the companies never told us," said Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan.