Willow Grove and Warminster Naval base PFOA and PFOS Water Contamination

Toxic Chemicals dumped at the Willow Grove and Warminster Naval Air Bases have polluted the drinking water of over 70,000 people – residents of Horsham, Warminster and Warrington townships. The chemicals of concern include perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) including PFOA and PFOS. These chemicals have been linked to kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, and other health problems. Recent studies by the Pennsylvania Department of Health show an increased rate of pancreatic and bladder cancer among residents in these communities. If you are looking for information and support check out Buxmont Coalition for Safer Water

Our office has filed three different kinds of lawsuits on behalf of residents exposed to these chemicals.:

  1. A lawsuit against the United States Government to compel medical monitoring and blood testing.
  2. Lawsuits on behalf of cancer victims against the manufacturers and suppliers of the firefighting foam whose toxic constituents polluted the communities drinking water.

Please see our blog post of January 17, 2017 for more detail about the problems in these communities.

Listed below are links to news stories which talk about our involvement with this problem.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/forever-chemical-poisons-drinking-water-near-military-bases-n1101736

https://www.buxmontwater.org/partners

https://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/news/20200212/delval-pfas-panel-reflects-on-unwell-water-impact

https://enviropolitics.com/court-rules-navy-can-be-sued-for-pfas/

https://earthjustice.org/features/pfas-toxic-taps

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2019/07/26/activists-in-bucks-and-montgomery-counties-are-skeptical-about-pentagon-pfas-task-force/

https://kywnewsradio.radio.com/articles/news/epa-outlines-plan-dealing-toxic-chemicals-water

https://whyy.org/articles/how-long-has-the-military-known-that-firefighting-foam-was-dangerous/

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Cuker-Law-Firm-Threatens-to-Sue-Navy-Over-Water-Contamination-Willow-Grove-382858621.html

Pennsylvania Water Contamination Lawyers

Why Choose Cuker Law Firm

One of our well-known and most successful environmental cases made the national and international news.

“The story of a small town ravaged by industrial pollution . . .

a town that fought back and

won one of the largest legal settlements in the annals of toxic dumping”

Toms River, New Jersey was a case of ours where we achieved a resolution that helped many families live their lives safely, provide for their medical care, receive ongoing monitoring of health they deserved and be awarded compensation. News reports lauded the town’s fight and our collaborative success. View our video of the Toms River case.

Toms River and Horsham, Warrington and Warminster townships have some similarities.

  • Both were suspected of pollution that had been going on for years.
  • Both were afflicted by contamination from unregulated chemicals that did not have well established health standards.
  • Both have statistically significant increased rates of cancer.

The case facts are recounted in the Pulitzer prize-winning book “Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation” by Dan Fagin.

Other communities we’ve represented:

  • East Fishkill, NY: More than 60 families asked us to represent them after learning their drinking water had been contaminated for years with chlorinated solvents dumped by a contractor working for IBM.
  • Endicott, NY: Toxic vapors from chlorinated solvent pollution intruded into hundreds of homes. More than 1,000 people engaged us to represent them in claims against the polluter, again IBM.
  • Ithaca, NY: We represented dozens of families in similar claims for vapor intrusion from groundwater contaminated by two local factories.
  • Horsham, Warminster and Warrington Townships: a lawsuit on behalf of a family who, for years, drank water contaminated by PFAS coming from a nearby Naval Base. We sued the U.S. Government for blood testing and medical monitoring for early detection of disease. Lawsuit on behalf of the owners of a property contaminated by chemical runoff from a nearby Naval Base. We sued the U.S. Government for the unconstitutional taking of their property. A lawsuit on behalf of cancer victims who drank the contaminated water against the manufacturers of toxic fire fighting foam
  • Paulsboro, NJ: a large area has been contaminated by PFNA coming from the Solvay Specialty Polymers Plant in West Deptford, we filed a class action for the residents of Paulsboro who drank the contaminated water. This resulted in a settlement which paid for Paulsboro residents to have their blood tested for PFNA. A preliminary analysis of these results of that blood testing by scientists at Rutgers has found that Paulsboro residents have much higher blood levels of PFNSA than the general population, and those with higher levels of PFNSA tend to have higher levels of blood cholesterol.
  • We have also represented a number of private well owners whose drinking water was contaminated by PFNA coming from the Solvay plant.

We are honored to have served the residents of Toms River and these other communities.