Kenneth W. Wright, a partner in Shutts & Bowen LLP’s Orlando office, was recently quoted by the Pensacola News Journal in an article discussing the City of Pensacola’s lawsuit against the manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” thanks to their persistent properties and inability to breakdown, are mandated for use by the FAA in firefighting foam used in airports across the country. The article discusses the federal, multi-district product liability lawsuit joined by Pensacola International Airport against PFAS manufacturers, among them 3M and Dupont, who they allege knowingly marketed and sold the toxic products which have contaminated their site. Kenneth W. Wright, an environmental and government relations attorney who filed the first of such lawsuits in the state for client Orlando-Sanford International Airport, comments on the serious effects of PFAS in airports. “Once it gets into the environment, it doesn't change, so it's particularly difficult to remediate and also very expensive and time consuming,” he says.
PFAS has been used in household goods and commercial products since the 1940’s and has been linked to serious health issues such as birth defects, organ damage and increased risk of cancer.
To read the full article, click here.
About Kenneth W. Wright
Kenneth W. Wright is a partner in the Orlando office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where he is a member of the Government Relations Practice Group. Kenneth has a strong background in issues ranging from public sector litigation to land acquisition and currently focuses his practice on government relations, land use/environmental law, and administrative and regulatory law. He often represents clients before government entities at the local and state levels, including commissions and regulatory agencies. Kenneth has been called to lead groups that shape statewide environmental policy and regional development. He formerly chaired the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission for ten years. He has forged strong relationships with local, state and federal agencies that oversee real estate development and environmental permitting – and utilizes his regulatory relationships and decades of experience to advocate for his clients in claims related to causation and contamination.