ALLENTOWN, Pa. – As part of the settlement of a class action lawsuit, Allentown will see $3.12 million coming its way.
Allentown City Council approved amending the 2025 capital fund budget Wednesday night for a supplemental appropriation of the award from a lawsuit known as the “aqueous film-forming foams” class action.
The case was brought against 3M and DuPont because testing showed “forever chemicals” known as PFAS contamination were found in public water supplies operated by the Lehigh County Authority.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances are chemicals that have components which break down very slowly over time and are persistent in the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.
The EPA says scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS may be linked to harmful health effects in humans, animals and the environment, but the extent of those effects is difficult to assess because there are thousands of PFAS chemicals present in a range of products.
The financial awards given to Allentown are meant to offset the cost of a remediation system the city is required to install under federal and state regulations.
The settlement payment will be made in ten separate installments through 2033.
City officials said those funds are specifically earmarked for the remediation work.