By Tanay Dhumal, Sourasis Bose and Clark Mindock
(Reuters) -Chemours, Dupont De Nemours and Corteva (NYSE:CTVA) have reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. state of Ohio for $110 million to resolve claims associated with toxic "forever chemicals", the companies said on Wednesday.
Chemours, a spin-off of DuPont (NYSE:DD), said it would be responsible for half of the settlement costs, DuPont would provide about $39 million, and Corteva is expected to cover the rest.
The agreement resolves Ohio's claims relating to the release of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from the companies' facilities, including the Washington Works facility located along the Ohio-West Virginia border, Chemours said in a statement.
PFAS are a class of chemicals that are used in a wide range of products including non-stick cookware and firefighting foams, and are associated with certain cancers, hormonal dysfunction and other diseases.
They are often referred to as "forever chemicals" because they don't easily break down in the human body or nature.
The state of Delaware said Wednesday the Ohio deal triggered a contingency provision in its own 2021 PFAS settlement with the companies, which requires them to pay the state an additional $25 million on top of the $50 million in its original deal.
The provision required extra payment if the companies reached a similar settlement to the one with Delaware within eight years with any other state for more than $50 million.
Chemical makers have faced thousands of lawsuits in recent years over alleged PFAS contamination.
On Monday, a U.S. appeals court rejected a lower court's ruling that would have allowed about 11.8 million Ohio residents as a group to sue 10 PFAS manufacturers.
3M agreed in June to pay $10.3 billion to settle hundreds of claims that the company polluted public drinking water with the chemicals, while Chemours, DuPont and Corteva reached a similar deal with U.S. water providers for $1.19 billion.