DALLAS – On May 17, Baron & Budd announced it is investigating potential lawsuits related to a recent finding that the water supply in the City of Airway Heights, Washington, may be contaminated with dangerous, perfluorinated chemicals known as PFOS and PFOA.
City officials have warned residents not to drink or cook with water from city pipes. Hundreds of Airway Heights residents waited in line for bottled water on May 16 after learning about the contamination.
In Airway Heights, and the nearby town of Medical Lake, PFOA and PFOS chemicals may have originated from AFFF foam used at nearby Fairchild Air Force Base, since the 1970s. A number of private residential wells are also affected at levels several times higher than the EPA’s Health Advisory limit, according to a press release.
Baron & Budd was the first firm in the nation to file suit on behalf of an airport against AFFF foam manufactures for PFOA/PFOS groundwater contamination. Product manufacturers, such as 3M, added PFOA and PFOS chemicals to firefighting foam, known as AFFF foam. Airports and Air Force bases across the country sprayed AFFF foam directly onto the ground and soil, unknowingly contaminating groundwater.
“It is extremely troubling that potentially thousands of people have been continuously exposed to toxic chemicals in their drinking water,” said attorney John Fiske. “Our team brings decades of experience fighting on behalf of victims of water contamination, and we are committed to holding the companies responsible for this disaster accountable for their actions.”