Houston, Dec 18
Texas found 252 new groundwater contamination cases in 2023, nearly nine per cent of all open cases in the second-largest US state, said an official report.
The latest Texas Groundwater Protection Committee annual report compiles 2,870 open cases of groundwater contamination. Public drinking water in almost every county of the state is impacted by the problem, and some cases date back decades, said the report.
The top pollution source is gas stations, making up a third of all the cases, reported the Texas Tribune on Tuesday.
The most common contaminants, as the report showed, are gasoline, diesel, and other petroleum products, while in some cases the source of contamination is unknown.
Texas relies on groundwater from aquifers for about 55 per cent of its water supply, and agriculture is the biggest consumer of groundwater statewide.
On December 12, Xinhua news agency reported that Texas is suing companies including DuPont and 3M, charging them of having made products containing toxic "forever chemicals" commonly known as PFAS and falsely advertising over their safety.
DuPont's Teflon and 3M's Scotchgard were among products sold to Texans and concealing "substantial risks from consumers and the State," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in the lawsuit.
"Defendants marketed products containing harmful PFAS chemicals for over 70 years and were aware of the harmful effects of PFAS chemicals for over 50 years," the lawsuit said.
Texas has found PFAS contamination in some drinking water systems, according to a report from the Texas Tribune, noting that nearly 50 public water systems across the state have reported exceeding the US Environmental Protection Agency's newly released PFAS limits for drinking water.
According to a report by The Hill, several states have already filed lawsuits over the chemicals. Some of these suits have alleged false advertising, while others have sought compensation for alleged contamination.
In 2022, 3M reportedly announced plans to exit PFAS manufacturing by 2025 in response to growing environmental and legal pressures. According to The Hill report, DuPont spun off its division that makes PFAS-containing products in 2015.
PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is the name of a family of manmade chemicals widely used in a range of consumer products.