Thursday, October 1, 2026
“We represent over 2,000 individuals from Nassau and Suffolk counties who have developed four types of cancer — liver, kidney, thyroid and testicular cancers — and also ulcerative colitis, in litigation involving PFAS,” said Jeffrey Guzman, a founding member of the Wall Street law firm Krentsel Guzman Herbert.
Guzman knows the issues associated with PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals,” well. He has a home on Long Island where wells have been impacted by PFAS.
Thousands of water suppliers across the United States, including the Suffolk County Water Authority, have filed lawsuits against companies involved with PFAS. Last year the 3M Company agreed to a settlement of $10.3 billion. SCWA expects to receive $170 million of that. It got an initial payment of $34 million last year.
Smaller settlements were reached with other companies, including DuPont, which developed PFAS in 1938 and patented its creation as Teflon.
But Guzman noted that this was “remediation litigation seeking money for the cost of cleaning up the PFAS that are already in the water. It did not intend to compensate any individuals who suffered as a consequence of their exposure.”
He added, “Those who have suffered health impacts from PFAS are entitled to compensation from these companies, which knew it was carcinogenic.”
On the Krentsel Guzman Herbert website, kglawteam.com, there are a series of pages detailing the firm’s PFAS litigation seeking compensation for those victims. They’re titled “Long Island’s PFAS Water Crisis: Your Health’s on the Line.”
Under “What Are Forever Chemicals, and Why Are They So Dangerous?” the explanation begins: “Forever Chemicals, or PFAS, are toxic chemicals tainting your tap … Long Island’s drinking water ranks among the most contaminated. A federal database shows 19 water suppliers detected PFAS. In 16 districts, levels exceeded 20 [parts per trillion], one hitting 146 ppt, over double the 70 ppt seen nationwide, per Citizens Campaign for the Environment” — the organization based in Farmingdale.
“That’s your water,” the website goes on to say. “You’ve been drinking it for years, cooking with it, and bathing in it. Each sip and shower adds toxins to your body.”
Under “The Effects of PFAS on Your Body,” the details continue: “These manufactured chemicals don’t break down — not in the environment, not in your body. They build up in your bloodstream over time, and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) warns they’re linked to serious diseases. Long Island’s exposure is worse than most in the U.S.”
Under “Am I Eligible for Compensation for PFAS-Related Cancers,” there’s this: “Yes. If you’ve lived on Long Island for years, drinking, washing and bathing in tap water, that’s exposure. Studies show PFAS increase your risk of cancer.”
In July, as I reported two weeks ago in “New York state takes on the ‘forever chemicals,’” state Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court, charging corporations involved with PFAS — including 3M and DuPont — with being in violation of many state laws. James cited corporate documents in which the companies acknowledge that they knew about PFAS’ threats to human health and the environment, but still pushed products made with the chemicals anyway.
Meanwhile, despite action by the state and private litigation targeting PFAS, the Trump administration is moving in the opposite direction. The Environmental Protection Agency — headed by Long Island resident Lee Zeldin, of Shirley — is seeking “rollbacks on regulations,” according to a letter of complaint that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sent to Zeldin last month.
And the EPA just approved the licensing of “two new pesticides that contain PFAS,” Food & Water Action, a Washington, D.C-based organization, reports. It issued a statement saying, “PFAS don’t readily break down in our environment and are linked to serious health concerns like cancer. They don’t belong anywhere near our food.”
FWA included a message that it encouraged people to sign and send to Zeldin, saying, “I demand that you rescind the approval of isocycloseram and cyclobutrifluram, deny future approvals of PFAS pesticides, and update the EPA’s definition of PFAS to fully reflect this dangerous class of chemicals.”
Karl Grossman has been an investigative reporter in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
