PFOA Lawsuit

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8, is a man-made chemical that was widely used in a variety of consumer products and has now been linked to an increased risk of cancer, thyroid disease and other serious health issues.

Rizk Law is actively reviewing potential PFOA lawsuits against DuPont for polluting drinking water with this harmful chemical. If you have been diagnosed with cancer or another health issue after consuming water contaminated by DuPont chemicals, you may be eligible to pursue compensation to help cover medical bills and other-related damages.

At our firm, an initial consultation with a defective products lawyer is 100 percent free and comes with no risk or obligation to move forward. Over almost two decades, we have obtained millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. Senior lawyer and founding partner Richard Rizk has handled high-exposure environmental litigation and has been recognized as one of the top lawyers in Portland.

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Am I Eligible To File a DuPont PFOA Lawsuit?

Our legal team is ready to discuss this with you during a free, no-obligation legal consultation. There are several factors that we need to consider to determine your eligibility to file a lawsuit.

One of these factors is whether your illness can be directly linked to exposure to PFOA. This chemical is extremely mobile and can easily pass through water treatment facilities to contaminate drinking water. Most people within the U.S. have been exposed to PFOA in their blood. PFOA is also a bioaccumulative substance. This chemical can build up in the human body over time because it is absorbed, not excreted.

If you live near a plant or factory that produces PFOA or have used products that contain PFOA, your health issues may be connected to your exposure. There is no cost to you to contact our firm to have us review your situation and discuss your potential legal options.

How Can a Lawyer at Rizk Law Help Me?

Most people do not realize that injury victims who hire lawyers have higher success rates and recover substantially more in compensation than those who do not. In a complex case, such as one concerning dangerous and defective products, having legal representation to protect your best interests is key.

At Rizk Law, we know what it takes to take on large companies that are attempting to avoid accountability for their actions. Our lawyers have the knowledge, skills and resources to conduct detailed investigations and gather the evidence needed to build a strong and solid case.

We may even consult with medical professionals and other industry experts to help prove the cause of your health issues and calculate an accurate value of the damages that you have suffered.

Review some testimonials from our satisfied clients.

What Could Be the Value of My Case?

The value of your potential case will depend on the severity of your health issues. Generally, product liability and defective product lawsuits involve pursing compensation for the damages suffered by the injured victim. These cases often include compensatory damages, such as medical bills for the treatment of an injury or illness. This may include the expense of surgery to remove cancerous tumors or a combination of radiation and chemotherapy to help with cancer treatments. 

Our lawyers are ready to help obtain compensation not only for past and current medical costs, but any treatment you may need after the legal process has ended.

Other damages we may be able to seek on your behalf include:

• Lost wages from missing work while in recovery
• Lost earning capacity if you cannot work due to your health issues
• Pain and suffering experienced, both physical and mental
• Loss of companionship and loss of enjoyment of life

Our firm is dedicated to helping injury victims recover maximum compensation. We have obtained millions in compensation on behalf of our clients.

What is PFOA?

PFOA was used for its stability and stain-resistance in the production of non-stick cookware, textiles, paper, paints and fire-fighting foams, among other products. It is just one chemical out of a family of over 4,500 fluorinated substances called PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances).

These substances are known as forever chemicals. Before the manufacture of PFOA and other PFAS chemicals in the 1940s, these chemicals were not present in the environment. In 1951, DuPont started purchasing PFOA from 3M for use in the manufacturing of Teflon to help coat machined metal parts.

If these chemicals leak, they tend to stick around for quite some time. This is because these chemicals have a specific carbon-fluorine bond, which means they do not easily break down and can persist for decades in the environment. Current pollution from PFOA can build up and impact generations to come.

Due to increasing concerns over the scale and impact of contamination, PFOA has been largely phased out of use globally and in the U.S. under a 2006 voluntary agreement that was brokered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with eight major companies, including DuPont. However, these hazardous chemicals can still be found in imported products.

Health Issues Associated with Forever Chemicals

When forever chemicals are absorbed in the human body, such as through the water supply, it can cause significant harm. Exposure to PFOA has been linked to the following health issues:

These risks were uncovered after an eight-year study by the U.S. C8 Science Panel, made up of a group of independent public health scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Brown University in Providence and Emory University in Atlanta. These scientists were selected to assess whether or not there was a link between PFOA exposure and various diseases.

In another study in 2013, the Environmental Health Perspectives found that higher levels of PFOA could not only be linked to kidney and testicular cancer, but also prostate and ovarian cancer as well as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The study focused on PFOA exposure and cancer among residents living in close proximity to the DuPont Teflon-manufacturing plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

Lawsuits Filed and Settlements Reached

Chemical giant DuPont has had to pay out millions of dollars to settle legal disputes related to PFOA and other PFAS chemicals, including lawsuits over contaminated drinking water causing cancer.

In 2017, DuPont and its spinoff business Chemours agreed to settle about 3,500 lawsuits over illnesses linked to pollution for $671 million. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of C8 were dumped into the Ohio River over a span of decades and got into the drinking water of about 70,000 local area residents.

The lawsuits included more than 1,300 claims of thyroid disease, 270 claims of kidney or testicular cancer and around 30 wrongful death claims. That same year, a jury also ordered DuPont to pay $10.5 million in punitive damages to a man who developed testicular cancer because of the chemical leak.

In March of 2020, another jury awarded a couple $50 million for cancer caused by the company’s water pollution. DuPont and Chemours have also agreed to resolve about 95 pending cases in multidistrict PFOA litigation in Ohio through an $83 million dollar settlement.

Discuss a Potential DuPont PFOA Lawsuit Today

The legal team at Rizk Law is actively reviewing potential DuPont PFOA lawsuits if you drank contaminated water and have developed cancer, thyroid disease or another serious health issue.

One of our experienced lawyers is ready to answer any questions you may have concerning whether you have a valid case in a free initial consultation. There is no risk or obligation to retain our services.

If you have a case and decide to move forward, we charge no upfront fees while we investigate and work on your case. We receive no payment unless we help you obtain compensation.