North Carolina and 11 local entities secured a $455 million settlement on Thursday from Chemours, DuPont and Corteva over contamination claims tied to toxic PFAS chemicals. The agreement resolves lawsuits centered on Chemours’ Fayetteville Works plant and other historical discharges.
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are known as “forever chemicals” because they resist breaking down in the environment and accumulate in the human body over time. The compounds have been linked to certain cancers, immune system effects and other health problems.
The lawsuits accused the three companies of polluting drinking water supplies used by communities across the state. The settlement covers the state government alongside local water utilities and municipalities affected by the discharges.
News of the agreement lifted Chemours shares, which climbed after the announcement as investors read the resolution as removing a large legal overhang. The company was spun off from DuPont in 2015, while Corteva emerged from the later split of DowDuPont.
The North Carolina deal follows a pattern of costly resolutions across the United States. Last year, the same three companies struck a settlement in New Jersey over similar contamination claims. Litigation targeting chemical manufacturers over PFAS in drinking water has produced settlements worth billions of dollars nationwide.
These cases mirror the scale of other mass product-liability actions in the country, including the multibillion-dollar talc lawsuits that have drawn large corporate settlement offers from consumer goods manufacturers.
Regulators have moved to tighten limits on PFAS in public water systems, forcing utilities to weigh expensive filtration upgrades. Settlements with manufacturers have become a primary route for states and local governments to recover cleanup and treatment costs.
The companies have faced overlapping claims from states, municipalities and individual plaintiffs. Chemours has previously said its financial exposure is shared among the three firms under agreements governing legacy liabilities.
The Fayetteville Works facility, located along the Cape Fear River, has been a focal point of PFAS concern in the state for years. Downstream communities reported contamination in their water supplies, prompting testing and legal action.
The $455 million figure adds to the growing tally of PFAS-related payouts the three companies have agreed to across multiple jurisdictions.