PFAS Drinking Water Contamination Lawsuit

How PFAS Contaminated America's Drinking Water

PFAS contamination of drinking water has occurred through multiple pathways that have left virtually no region of the United States untouched. Military AFFF use has contaminated groundwater near more than 700 military installations. Industrial PFAS manufacturing and discharge — particularly DuPont's PFOA contamination of the Ohio River valley and 3M's PFAS discharge in Minnesota — have affected municipal water supplies serving hundreds of thousands of people. Electroplating facilities, semiconductor manufacturing, and textile mills have discharged PFAS into waterways and groundwater. PFAS-containing biosolids (sewage sludge used as agricultural fertilizer) have leached PFAS into private wells across farming regions. A 2023 U.S. Geological Survey study estimated that approximately 45% of U.S. tap water contains detectable PFAS — making drinking water the primary route of human PFAS exposure for most Americans.

EPA's 4 Parts Per Trillion Standard — What It Means for Your Claim

In April 2024, the EPA finalized the first-ever national drinking water maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for PFAS, setting limits of 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for PFOA and PFOS individually — the lowest technically measurable level. For context, a previous health advisory of 70 ppt had guided regulators since 2016. Many contaminated water systems in the United States measured PFAS at hundreds or thousands of ppt above even the old 70 ppt advisory. Residents who drank water at concentrations far above the current 4 ppt limit — which describes essentially all contaminated communities near military bases and industrial sites — have the strongest exposure arguments. Your attorney can obtain historical water testing data from your water utility to document the PFAS concentrations you were exposed to over the years.

Private Well Owners — Your Rights and Your Claims

Homeowners and renters who relied on private wells near contaminated military bases, industrial facilities, or agricultural areas where PFAS-containing biosolids were applied face PFAS exposure claims that are legally distinct from municipal water system claims but equally valid as personal injury cases. Private well owners were often the last to be informed of PFAS contamination — they lacked the formal testing requirements that apply to public water utilities — and may have consumed contaminated water for years or decades before being notified. This delayed discovery is legally significant and supports statute of limitations arguments for claimants with older diagnoses.