A Michigan County Takes PFAS Manufacturers to Court
On March 6, 2026, Alpena County, Michigan filed a federal lawsuit against 3M, DuPont, and more than a dozen other chemical companies. The allegation: toxic firefighting foam contaminated the county’s airport with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the family of compounds most people now know as PFAS, or “forever chemicals.”
The complaint landed in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, where it joins MDL 2873, a massive federal proceeding that has pulled together more than 10,000 PFAS cases from across the country. Alpena County Regional Airport is a joint civil-military facility. The Michigan Air National Guard operates a base on county-owned land and has handled airport firefighting services there for decades.
What the county is alleging is straightforward. Aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, was used at the airport for years. That foam contains PFAS. When it got sprayed, trained with, or disposed of, the chemicals soaked into the ground and spread through soil, groundwater, and surface water.
Alpena is just one case. But the conditions that led to it are not unusual. Airports and military installations across the country used the same products the same way. Illinois is no exception — and the people most affected are the families who live nearby.
What Are PFAS, and Why Are They Called “Forever Chemicals”?
PFAS are a family of thousands of man-made chemicals that have been in circulation since the 1940s. You’ve been around them your whole life without realizing it. They’re in nonstick pans. In food wrappers. In stain-resistant carpets, waterproof jackets, and yes, firefighting foam.
The “forever” part comes down to chemistry. The bond between carbon and fluorine atoms is one of the strongest in nature. That’s useful if you’re engineering a product that needs to resist heat, water, or grease. It’s a problem once the chemical gets loose in the environment, because almost nothing breaks it down. PFAS build up in soil, in water, in fish, and in people. They’ve been found in human blood samples across the globe.
The EPA has connected elevated PFAS exposure to a range of serious health problems:
- Kidney and testicular cancer
- Thyroid disease
- Pregnancy complications, including low birth weight and high blood pressure
- Immune system effects
- Elevated cholesterol
PFAS are also highly water-soluble, which means they travel. A single contamination source, like an airport or a military base, can send PFAS into groundwater that feeds drinking water supplies miles away. If you’ve experienced health problems that could be linked to chemical exposure, they may rise to the level of a personal injury claim. Learn more about our Personal Injury Law practice.
The Firefighting Foam at the Center of the Lawsuits
AFFF was developed in the 1960s for a very specific job: putting out jet fuel and petroleum fires. It works by forming a dense blanket over burning fuel, cutting off the oxygen. For that application, it was effective enough to become standard equipment at airports, military bases, oil refineries, and fire training facilities.
Here’s the part that matters: AFFF can be made without PFAS. Fluorine-free alternatives exist and have existed for years. The FAA required commercial airports to keep PFAS-containing AFFF on hand until 2021. The Department of Defense said in 2024 it would stop buying PFAS-based foams altogether. By then, decades of use had already happened.
Court records show manufacturers knew about the problems much earlier than they let on. By the early 1980s, internal studies showed PFAS compounds were accumulating in human tissue and raising health concerns. In 2005, the EPA fined DuPont $16.5 million — the largest environmental penalty in the agency’s history at the time — for failing to disclose what it knew about PFOA risks. By 2012, the C8 Science Panel had identified a “probable link” between PFOA exposure and six serious health conditions.
That pattern — a company knowing its product causes harm and continuing to sell it — is the core of Hazardous Products litigation. The manufacturers’ position is that their products met federal standards. 3M stopped making PFOS and PFOA in 2000 and has said it will exit PFAS manufacturing entirely by the end of 2025. Both 3M and DuPont have settled with public water systems while denying any wrongdoing.
Billions in Settlements, and What They Don’t Cover
PFAS litigation has already produced some of the biggest environmental settlements in U.S. history: 3M agreed to pay up to $12.5 billion (present value $10.3 billion), with final court approval in March 2024. DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva settled for $1.185 billion. Tyco Fire Products added $750 million, and BASF Corporation contributed $316.5 million.
Those are big numbers, but they have a specific scope. They were negotiated with public water systems to help cover the cost of treating contaminated drinking water. They don’t cover private wells. They don’t cover individual health harms. They don’t pay families whose exposure came from years of drinking contaminated water before anyone knew.
Illinois: Contamination Already Documented
Illinois isn’t waiting for a case like Alpena’s to show up. PFAS contamination here is already well documented.
Water Systems
After a statewide investigation that wrapped up in 2021, Illinois EPA notified 47 community water systems, serving more than 400,000 residents, that elevated PFAS levels had been found in their drinking water. Several communities have received specific notices that their water exceeds the EPA’s current limit of 4 parts per trillion (ppt): Crest Hill at 13.7 ppt PFOA, Dupo at 4.5 ppt PFOS, and Elburn at 7.5 ppt PFOA.
Military Installations
Scott Air Force Base (Belleville). Scott is one of the most severely contaminated military sites in the country. Testing data compiled by the Environmental Working Group, drawn from Army Corps of Engineers sampling, shows PFOS levels roughly 20,250 times higher than the EPA’s current standard. Combined PFOS and PFOA levels reach around 26,000 times the EPA threshold. The base is a designated Superfund site. AFFF used for airport rescue and firefighting since the 1970s has been identified as the primary contamination source.
Former Chanute Air Force Base (Rantoul). Chanute closed in 1993, but the contamination didn’t leave with the planes. The EPA has recommended adding Chanute to the Superfund list. Testing has confirmed the presence of PFAS, arsenic, trichloroethylene, and 1,4-dioxane at the site. The Air Force’s PFAS investigation at Chanute is ongoing.
Rock Island Arsenal. Illinois is actively litigating PFAS contamination in this region. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s lawsuit against 3M should stay in state court, focused on contamination from 3M’s facility in Cordova, Illinois.
Attorney General Litigation
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has filed three PFAS-related lawsuits against chemical manufacturers, including a recent action specifically targeting AFFF manufacturers — the first Illinois AG case focused on firefighting foam contamination at industrial facilities, military bases, airports, and fire departments.
What to Watch For
If you live in a community near an airport, military base, or fire training facility in Illinois — or if your drinking water comes from a source that could be affected — a few things are worth paying attention to:
- Whether your water system has received a PFAS notice from Illinois EPA
- Whether you rely on a private well in an affected area
- Whether family members have experienced health issues that could be linked to PFAS exposure
- How the litigation picture develops, especially the Illinois AG’s AFFF case
PFAS litigation is still early. The Alpena County case is one data point in a much larger picture, and Illinois is already sitting at the center of it.
Concerned About PFAS Exposure Where You Live?
If you live near a military base, airport, or fire training facility in Illinois — or if your community water system has received a PFAS notice from Illinois EPA — you may have been exposed to chemicals linked to serious health problems. PFAS contamination cases are a developing area of law, and Block Law is reviewing situations at no cost.
We represent people, not corporations. If you’ve been diagnosed with a PFAS-linked illness, if your private well tested positive, or if you’re worried about your family’s exposure, we’d like to hear from you.
Call: 815-726-9999 | Free consultation: blocklaw.com/contact-us
Learn more about our work in Hazardous Products and Personal Injury Law.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about PFAS litigation and should not be construed as legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction, and the science around PFAS continues to evolve. If you believe you or your family may be affected by PFAS contamination, consult a qualified attorney who can evaluate your specific circumstances. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
