More than 20 defendants, including 3M, DuPont and Honeywell, must face claims brought by Connecticut firefighters who allege their protective turnout gear exposed them to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of persistent chemicals linked to health risks. U.S. District Judge Alvin Thompson said 13 firefighter union organizations had organizational standing to seek damages and that 12 individual firefighters could pursue damages and medical monitoring even without outward symptoms of cancer or other diseases. The proposed class action, filed in June 2024, is described by the plaintiffs’ lawyers as the first to target firefighter gear containing PFAS exclusively. The complaint identifies 3M’s Scotchlite reflective material, DuPont’s Kevlar and Honeywell-manufactured turnout gear as products containing PFAS. Some DuPont liabilities now belong to Chemours and Corteva. PFAS are widely used in consumer and commercial goods and have also been linked to higher cholesterol, low birth weight and reduced antibody response to vaccines. In 2023, DuPont, 3M and two other companies agreed to more than $11 billion in settlements over claims that PFAS-containing firefighting foam and other products polluted drinking water, without admitting wrongdoing.