DuPont and spin-offs settle with New Jersey over PFAS contamination

The US state of New Jersey has agreed a settlement deal valued at more than $2 billion (£1.5 billion) with DuPont and its spin-offs Chemours and Corteva to resolve per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination across the state.

The agreement comes after a month-long trial in federal court where the companies were accused of contaminating New Jersey’s natural resources for decades with PFAS and other pollutants originating from four former DuPont sites across the state.

Under the proposal, which still requires final court approval after a public consultation, the firms would clean up PFAS pollution in New Jersey and pay $875 million in damages to the state. The companies would also dedicate up to a further $1.2 billion to create a fund to support clean-up in the affected areas. Payments will be split between DuPont (35.5%), Chemours (50%) and Corteva (14.5%).

‘At a time when the federal government is dismantling the [Environmental Protection Agency] and is gutting scientific research…it has never been more important for states to protect their residents from threats to their health and their environments, and to make sure the polluters are held accountable through compensation, remediation and repair,’ stated New Jersey’s attorney general, Matthew Platkin.

In May, Platkin’s team agreed a settlement with 3M worth up to $450 million over PFAS contamination to the state’s water and other natural resources. And in June 2023, Platkin agreed a $393 million settlement with Solvay Specialty Polymers to remediate contamination, including PFAS, near Solvay’s West Deptford facility.

Then, earlier this year co-defendant Arkema agreed to settle its responsibility for contamination at the same West Deptford site, including paying nearly $34 million to address natural resource damages and remediation, and guaranteeing $75 million for a reserve fund to ensure the completion of remediation activities.

Beyond New Jersey, in November 2023 DuPont proposed a settlement with the state of Ohio for $110 million to resolve claims associated with PFAS pollution. And more recently, in July 2025, DuPont agreed to pay a $27 million settlement to the Northern District of New York to resolve claims related to the contamination of drinking water in Hoosick Falls, New York with perfluorooctanoic acid. This settlement needs approval from a federal court.