Oneida County considering legal action over ‘forever chemicals’ contamination

Oneida County is considering participating in national PFAS-related litigation efforts.
During its Jan. 20 meeting, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors is expected to vote on a resolution authorizing the engagement of outside legal counsel to initiate lawsuit(s) against any company that “designed, manufactured, marketed, distributed and/or sold fluorosurfactant products that contributed to the PFAS contamination within the county...”
The resolution was unanimously approved during the Dec. 17 meeting of the county board’s executive committee, according to draft meeting minutes posted on the county website. The vote took place following a closed session discussion, according to the minutes.
The resolution references a specific type of fluorosurfactant: aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). According to the resolution, AFFF (fire-fighting foam) was “stored, handled, and used on (Rhinelander-Oneida County) airport property allowing PFAS compounds to migrate into the environment, contaminating soil, groundwater and surface water...”
According to the meeting minutes, Oneida County corporation counsel Chad Lynch advised the committee that the outside law firms will not be compensated unless (Oneida County) receives a financial benefit from the lawsuit(s).

Included with the resolution is an 11-page legal services agreement from an entity known as the PFAS litigation group, which consists of the law firms Baron & Budd P.C., Cossich, Sumich, Parsioloa & Taylor LLC, and Attoles Law S.C. , all of which are involved in national PFAS-related litigation.
Baron & Budd also represents the Town of Stella residents who have filed a PFAS-related lawsuit against the current and former owners of the Rhinelander paper mill and the chemical companies 3M and BASF. That lawsuit, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, alleges that the practice of spreading paper mill sludge on farm fields caused PFAS contamination of private drinking water wells in the eastern Oneida County township.
PFAS are a group of manmade synthetic substances that are resistant to heat, water and oil. Often called “forever chemicals,” they can accumulate in the environment and human bodies over time and have been linked to various health concerns including immune system effects, thyroid problems, and increased cholesterol levels.