$17.5M settlement reached in PFAS lawsuit.

Byline: Michaela Paukner, mpaukner@wislawjournal.com

A company that makes fire-fighting foam containing so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS reached a $17.5 million settlement on Thursday with northern Wisconsin residents over contamination from the chemicals.

The residents' class-action lawsuit accused Tyco Fire Products and three other companies of making and testing fire-fighting foam containing PFAS at a center in Marinette, which then leached into private wells and properties in nearby Peshtigo.

PFAS are man-made chemicals that don't break down easily in the environment. They have been linked to cancer, liver disease and reproductive-health troubles. The two Peshtigo residents who first filed the lawsuit in 2018 asked for compensation for their exposure to water and soil contamination and related health risks.

Under the proposed agreement, $15 million of the settlement will pay for property damage and other claims from class members. The remaining $2.5 million will be allocated to residents who have testicular cancer, kidney cancer, pregnancy-induced hypertension, ulcerative colitis or thyroid disease.

Court documents said Tyco and the other defendants in the case have already agreed to provide bottled water and point-of-entry treatment systems for homes with contaminated wells. The companies are also working to connect homes to a permanent supply of clean, safe drinking water.

There are an estimated 300 properties in the affected area, and more than half have already had their homes tested for PFAS. The chemicals were found in some of the tests but not in most, according to the settlement.

Before the agreement can take effect, Judge Richard Gergel of the U.S...