As northwest Georgia’s carpet manufacturing industry faces a barrage of potentially costly lawsuits,a new proposal introduced in the state legislature would grant broad immunity to carpet companies and municipalities accused of tainting the public water supply with the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.
House Bill 211, introduced recently by several northwest Georgia Republicans, comes as the area’s carpet industry faces at least half a dozen lawsuits accusing them of contaminating local drinking water with PFAS — compounds connected to a host of negative health effects, including fertility problems and certain cancers.
Last year, the EPA set its first limits on PFAS levels in drinking water.
The battle over PFAS contamination in Georgia has primarily centered on the state’s northwest corridor, including Dalton, which is known as the “carpet capital of the world.” For years, flooring companies purchased PFAS-laden Stainmaster and Scotchgard products from chemical manufacturers to add stain and water resistance to their own products. Wastewater from these plants then was discharged into nearby waterways or sprayed on land, according to complainants in court filings.
The name “forever chemicals” is a nod to the molecules’ strong bonds, which makes them resistant to breakdown in nature and allows them to accumulate in soil, water and even the human body.