NEW MILFORD, CT — New Milford residents have filed a lawsuit against local manufacturer Kimberly-Clark Corporation, alleging the company is contaminating their drinking water.
The consumer goods leviathan’s local facility produces the iconic facial tissue brand Kleenex. The suit, filed in Connecticut federal court last Wednesday, claims the plaintiffs have “suffered injury to their bodies and property, including subclinical cellular injuries that have substantially increased [their] risk of developing cancers and other diseases and conditions.”
The alleged damage would stem from exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, which the suit claims Kimberly-Clark has used to make tissues at its 58 Pickett District Road plant since the late 1950s.
The “substantial” air emissions which exit the plant through rooftop stacks include PFAS chemicals, the suit claims. The chemicals can also be found in the “short fiber paper sludge” byproduct of the paper manufacturing process “notorious for containing high concentrations of PFAS Chemicals.” The chemicals are ending up at the 165-acre New Milford Landfill on Kent Road, as well as the drinking water wells of the plaintiffs, according to the 42-page lawsuit.
Not only are the allegations “unfounded,” but Kimberly-Clark does not use PFAS chemicals in any of its U.S.-consumer products, according to a spokesperson for the company.
“We plan to vigorously defend these claims and will continue to ensure we maintain the trust our consumers and others have in our products and our company,” the manufacturer’s spokesperson told Patch.
The plaintiffs are seeking $5 million in damages, and for the company to create for them a diagnostic medical testing and monitoring program. They are also demanding the papermaker install systems to filter PFAS Chemicals down to non-detectable levels at its New Milford facility.
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