Case guide
Concerned about PFAS in your water? Keep the water report and its date.
Updated Oct 4, 202616 sources
See If You Qualify
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Updated Oct 4, 202616 sources
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Richard M. Gergel · United States District Court for the District of South Carolina · United States District Judge
Finding: The August 31, 2026 order sets expert-motion dates for thyroid and liver cancer. It does not set an individual payment.
District of South Carolina: CMO33F (opens in a new tab) · Aug 31, 2026 · Checked Oct 3, 2026
International Agency for Research on Cancer · World Health Organization · Publisher of the cancer hazard assessment
Finding: PFOA is classed as able to cause cancer; PFOS as possibly able to cause cancer. The classifications do not measure individual risk at a given dose.
IARC: PFOA/PFOS evaluation Q&A (opens in a new tab) · Dec 1, 2023 · Checked Oct 3, 2026
International Agency for Research on Cancer · 2023
Read the source: PFOA and PFOS cancer hazard evaluation (opens in a new tab) · Checked Oct 3, 2026
Not covered by this case
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Concerned about PFAS in your water? Keep the water report and its date. Ask the provider or local agency what it means. A water result alone does not decide an injury claim.
Check the source, sample place and date. A nearby result may concern different water. Keep the full report and ask the provider to explain it.
PFAS can reach water through different sources. Ask which supply served your address during the period you are concerned about. Do not replace a household history with a result from another site or year.
Ask the state or local health or environment agency about testing. Use a suitable lab. Ask what steps fit your well and the actual results.
EPA explains that it does not regulate private wells. Its guidance describes consulting state resources and using a certified lab. A water concentration by itself does not establish that a person will be harmed.
A suitable filter can reduce some PFAS. Check what it is certified to reduce and how to maintain it. Do not assume any filter removes all PFAS.
EPA warns that certification for reduction does not necessarily mean a filter reaches federal drinking-water levels. Ask about the model, results and upkeep for your situation. No product or personal health guarantee is made here.
They answer different questions. A blood PFAS result cannot diagnose an illness or predict your future health. Ask a clinician about your history and care.
ATSDR says blood testing has limits and care should consider the individual. IARC’s cancer-hazard review does not prove that water from your supply caused your disease. Keep the exposure and diagnosis questions distinct.
Not just because your water supply is named. The deals cover defined groups of water systems. A personal claim needs its own review.
The 3M FAQ describes exclusions and class membership. The DuPont order also excludes certain independent private wells. Those records concern water-system costs, not a universal cancer award for people who used the water.
Keep address dates, water reports and health records. Ask a lawyer about the time limit, fees and missing facts. Check who will receive the files before sending them.
Request your own health records from a covered provider if needed. Note gaps in the water history instead of guessing a chemical level. A lawyer should explain the claim-specific deadline and written fee terms.
Relative risk of 1.74 for kidney cancer among individuals with high PFAS exposure compared to low-exposure controls
PFAS manufacturers knew about the persistence and toxicity of their products as early as 1970 — more than 50 years before widespread public awareness
Determined "probable link" between PFOA exposure and six diseases: kidney cancer, testicular cancer, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol, and pregnancy-induced hypertension
The review is free and private. Asking for it doesn’t commit you to anything.
Register your interestYou can determine if your water is contaminated with PFAS through several methods. Municipal water systems are required under the EPA's 2024 PFAS drinking water rule to test for PFAS and report results publicly. Contact your water provider and ask for PFAS test results, or check the EPA's PFAS monitoring data. If you have a private well, you can have it tested by a state-certified laboratory — contact your state health department for approved labs. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) maintains an interactive map at ewg.org/interactive-maps/pfas_contamination showing known PFAS contamination sites nationwide. The DoD PFAS Task Force website lists contaminated military installations. If your water source is near a military base, airport, or fire training facility, PFAS testing is strongly recommended.
Yes. PFAS are "forever chemicals" that bioaccumulate in the human body over time. Even if you moved away from the contaminated area years ago, the PFAS you absorbed through drinking water remain in your blood and tissue. PFOS has a half-life of approximately 5 years in the human body, meaning it takes decades for blood levels to decline significantly after exposure stops. If you lived in an area with PFAS-contaminated water for an extended period and have been diagnosed with a linked condition, you may have a viable claim regardless of where you currently live. Your residential history (establishing you lived in the contaminated area), water quality data from that period, and your medical diagnosis are the key elements of the claim.
Yes, water utility settlements and personal injury settlements are entirely separate tracks in MDL 2873. These settlements go to the water utilities, not to individual residents. Personal injury settlements compensate individuals who drank contaminated water and developed health conditions as a result. MDL 2873 had 15,264 actions pending as of October 1, 2026. The court is weighing expert evidence on thyroid and liver cancer under an August 31, 2026 order, and no personal injury settlement has been announced. Your personal injury claim is not affected by the water utility settlements — those settlements resolved a different category of harm.
Checked against 13 primary sources by People's Justice editors · Updated
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