YOUNGSTOWN -  A lawsuit accusing major corporations of contaminating the Valley’s drinking water with so-called “forever chemicals” has moved to federal court.

At the request of two of the more than 30 companies being sued by the Mahoning County Sanitary District, the lawsuit filed in June has been transferred from Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to U.S. District Court in Youngstown.

The civil action alleges that companies such as 3M, Dupont, BASF, Kidde, and others knowingly permitted chemicals known as polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, to contaminate MVSD property and water since the 1960s.

PFAS are found in products such as Teflon, Scotchguard, as well as waterproofing, stain proofing, coatings, waxes, and other products such as firefighting foam.

According to the complaint, PFAS are toxic and don’t degrade in the environment, posing a risk to human health and safety.

The MVSD, which serves 220,000 homes and businesses in seven cities and ten townships in the Valley, cites US EPA studies that found exposure to PFAS may affect the development of fetuses during pregnancy or infants during breastfeeding, contributing to low birth rates, accelerated puberty, cancer, liver damage, thyroid effects, and damage to immunity.

The lawsuit seeks a court judgment to recover past and future damages for the investigation, remediation, treatment, removal, disposal or monitoring of ongoing contamination of the MVSD’s water resources.

21 News reported in June that the MVSD expects to receive part of a 10-billion-dollar settlement from 3M to water suppliers across the country that have PFAS in their systems.

MVSD officials hope to use their share to help pay for a new $40 million dollar water filtration system that eliminates these types of chemicals from the water.