Attorney General, DEP Commissioner Announce Two New Natural Resource Damage Lawsuits over Contamination of Riverfront Sites

November 10, 2020

As part of the State of New Jersey’s continuing commitment to protect public health and restore natural resources degraded by those who refuse accountability, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe today announced the filing of two lawsuits to compel the clean-up of contamination and recover Natural Resource Damages (NRDs).

The first suit is against Solvay Specialty Polymers USA, LLC and Arkema Inc., two companies responsible for widespread contamination from toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)  emanating from a Gloucester County facility, which has contaminated public drinking water in the region. The second lawsuit, against Honeywell International, Inc., seeks to restore natural resources damaged by contamination from the Quanta Resources Superfund Site along the Hudson River in Edgewater, Bergen County.

New Jersey has led the nation in environmental and public health research and regulation to protect the state’s residents from the harmful effects of PFAS chemicals like those manufactured at the Solvay site in West Deptford. PFAS substances – also called “forever chemicals”– are manmade substances desired for their ability to repel water, oil and fire, and were commonly used to make products like Teflon and Scotchgard. Highly resistant to environmental degradation and known to accumulate in the human body, PFAS are associated with serious adverse health effects such as cancer. The chemicals are also known to negatively impact the immune system and decrease vaccine response.

 

Read the press release

Location: