Graduation Year

2026

Graduation Month

July

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

School or Department

Political Science

Major

Political Science

Faculty Mentor Department

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Faculty Mentor

Soazig Le Bihan

Faculty Reader(s)

Soazig Le Bihan

Keywords

PFAS, Torts, Courts, Corporate liability

Subject Categories

Biochemistry | Civil Law

Abstract

Abstract

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are a group of chemicals widely manufactured for industrial and commercial applications in the past decade due to their remarkable stability. Despite the “useful” nature of PFAS in various applications, they represent one of the most profound environmental and public health crises of the modern era. The chemical stability of PFAS has made them almost completely resistant to natural degradation, earning them the moniker “forever chemicals.” PFAS forever haunt our plant, contaminating the soil, water, and the blood of approximately 95% of the United States population. As the scale of corporate malfeasance by chemical manufacturers comes to light, society faces a critical question: what is the most effective legal and societal mechanism to hold these corporations accountable? This paper examines the evolution of PFAS litigation and evaluates the efficacy of toxic torts as a mechanism for corporate accountability. By analyzing the landmark trajectory from Wilbur Tennant’s initial 1999 claim to the current multidistrict litigation (MDL) involving over 15,000 pending cases, this research explores the tension between the administrative-regulatory model and the private tort system. This analysis acknowledges the substantial procedural hurdles inherent in toxic torts, including the rigorous double burden of general and specific causation, the strict gatekeeping standards for scientific evidence under Daubert, and restrictive statutes of limitations. However, this paper argues that despite these limitations, tort litigation remains the only viable solution for comprehensive solvency. Unlike regulatory frameworks, which are frequently reactive and susceptible to industry capture, the tort system uniquely addresses corporate informational control through the discovery process, forces the cost burden onto the bad faith actors, and provides direct restorative justice to victims. Drawing on historical precedents of lead, asbestos, and tobacco, this project concludes that civil tort litigation acts as the primary engine for systemic reform, transforming PFAS from a profitable industrial staple into a permanent corporate liability.

Honors College Research Project

1

GLI Capstone Project

no

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© Copyright 2026 Aiden M. Holden