PFAS settlement in North Carolina

Chemours, DuPont and Corteva have reached a $455 million settlement to resolve litigation relating to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other historical discharges from the Fayetteville Works in North Carolina. This includes $18 million for PFAS contamination unrelated to Fayetteville.

The lawsuits were brought by the State of North Carolina and 11 local entities that were excluded from the US Public Water System Class Settlement of 2024. In line with a Memorandum of Understanding the three companies concluded in January 2021, Chemours will pay 50% of the settlement, DuPont and Corteva the other 50%

The settlement also recognised the progress Chemours has made since its consent order with the state in 2019. The company said that it has made substantial investments to reduce PFAS emissions from Fayetteville Works and mitigate off-site impacts in the surrounding communities. 

This follows similar settlements the three companies made with other states and federal authorities. In July 2021, they agreed a $50 settlement with the Delaware Department of Justice for historic PFAS contamination that had impacted waterways and groundwater throughout the state.

More recently, in August 2025, they agreed to pay $875 million over 25 years to resolve all legacy contamination claims related to four current and former operating sites in New Jersey. This included other claims of statewide PFAS contamination, notably from the use of aqueous film-forming foam.

In the interim, Chemours, DuPont and Corteva  had reached an agreement to pay $592 million, $400 million and $193 million respectively into a settlement fund to resolve litigation on all water systems where any PFAS is detected and those required to monitor for PFAS under Environmental Protection Agency rules or other applicable laws. This omitted any water systems owned and operated by a state or the federal government and those in the lower Cape Fear River basin of North Carolina.

The three companies have faced thousands of lawsuits in the US about the alleged effects of PFAS on human health and the environment. PFASs are used in multiple applications, including non-stick and waterproof coatings, lubricants and firefighting foams. Over many decades, they have been discharged into multiple waterways in the US. They have been linked to health problems like cancers of many types, organ failures and hormone disruptions.