Several municipal water systems from across the country have sued Pound Ridge-based Dynax Corp. for selling firefighting foam that allegedly contaminated their water supplies.
Dynax knew, or should have known, that its products are toxic and make drinking water unsafe, according to six lawsuits filed May 14-17 in U.S. District Court, White Plains.
They claim that Dynax designed, manufactured and sold firefighting foams that contain a type of toxic chemical that spreads quickly through water and soil, does not easily degrade into less dangerous substances, and are readily absorbed in human tissue.
Exposure to the substances may result in low birth weights and developmental problems in infants, according to the lawsuits, and cause cancers, liver damage and other health problems.
Dynax did not respond to an email requesting its side of the story.
The company claims on its website that its products are not derived from the type of chemical cited in the lawsuits, and that it uses a process that does not contain a type of chemical that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified as toxic.
Dynax was founded in 1991 by Eduard Kleiner, according to its website, and is the largest producer and supplier of fluorochemical firefighting foam in the world.
The foam was allegedly sold to airports, military bases, petroleum refineries and fire training centers near the water systems and eventually contaminated the drinking water.
Dynax should have known by the early 1990s that chemicals used in firefighting foams were hazardous, according to the lawsuits. But the company allegedly failed to recall the products or warn users about the dangers.
The lawsuits were filed by Ayer, Massachusetts; Bakman Water Co. in Fresno, California; Dayton, Ohio; Emerald Coast Utilities Authority in Pensacola, Florida; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Stuart, Florida.
They are demanding compensation to pay for assessing, monitoring, cleaning up or remediating contaminated properties.
They previously sued Dynax in federal court, South Carolina, where hundreds of similar cases are being heard. The new cases were filed in White Plains to protect their rights in case Dynax prevails on pending motions to dismiss the South Carolina cases on jurisdictional issues.
