THE WHAT? The Attorney General of California is taking several chemicals manufacturers, including 3M and DuPont, to court in a bid to claw back the ‘staggering’ cost of cleaning up forever chemicals, according to a report published by Reuters.

THE DETAILS Rob Bonta alleges that the companies in question continued to produce toxic substances such as PFAS, despite knowing that they had been linked to cancer and developmental defects.

DuPont told Reuters that it believes it has been incorrectly named in the suit as it has never manufactured PFOA, PFAS or firefighting foam.

A spokesperson for 3M, Carolyn LaViolette told Reuters that the company has “acted responsibly in connection with products containing PFAS and will defend its record of environmental stewardship.”

THE WHY? Bonta believes that the manufacturers in question have created a public nuisance and should shoulder the considerable costs of forever chemicals, telling Reuters, “California will be dealing with the harms of these toxic chemicals for generations.”