North Georgia families sue over ‘catastrophic’ chemical contamination

By Andy Pierrotti | Atlanta News First | June 13, 2025

Read the full article by Andy Pierrotti (Atlanta News First )

"A lawsuit filed Thursday accuses major carpet manufacturers and chemical makers of contaminating soil and water across north Georgia with toxic PFAS chemicals, exposing nearby families to what environmental experts are calling “catastrophic” levels of the dangerous substances.

Filed in the Gwinnett County Superior Court, the complaint represents landowners in Dalton and the nearby a watershed who claim decades of PFAS releases from companies like Shaw Industries, Mohawk Industries, and 3M, have polluted their properties, endangered their health and tanked their property values.

The plaintiffs - James Lyles, Helen Hill, T. Gene Edwards, Ty Edwards II, and Laura Lawson allege their land, water, and even indoor dust are saturated with PFAS, a class of chemicals often called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down and accumulate in the body over time."