New Mexico sues manufacturers of ‘forever chemicals’ amid health concerns

By MORGAN LEE
Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s attorney general and its Environment Department have filed suit against the manufacturers of so-called forever chemicals, seeking monetary damages to defray the costs of environmental monitoring and cleanups that they say are inevitable. At a news conference Thursday, Attorney General Raúl Torrez said that 21 companies named in the lawsuit have contributed to environmental contamination in New Mexico through their production and distribution of the chemicals despite knowledge that the compounds pose significant risk to human health. New Mexico environmental regulators say they are concerned about forever chemicals seeping into underground aquifers in a state where 80% of residents rely on underground water for household consumption.