the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ, a New Jersey native, who developed testicular cancer as a teenager, is alleging that his illness resulted from prolonged exposure to harmful, man-made chemicals over two decades, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday. The man, Scott Ehlbeck, now living in northern Pennsylvania, also claims his son’s autism is connected to his cancer.
Ehlbeck, who resided in Glen Rock between the 1970s and early 1990s, says he was unknowingly exposed to dangerous levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a type of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals,” as detailed in the lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Bergen County.
The Water Contamination Issue
PFAS have been detected in the water supplied by Ridgewood Water, which serves Glen Rock, Midland Park, Ridgewood, and Wyckoff. The water supplier aims to eliminate these chemicals from its system by 2026, according to its website.
The lawsuit names Ridgewood Water, chemical manufacturers DuPont and 3M, and companies using these chemicals around the water supplier as defendants. The complaint alleges that Ridgewood Water was aware of the excessive levels of these chemicals in its system since 2017.
The Manufacturers and the Lawsuit
DuPont, headquartered in Delaware with facilities in New Jersey, is noted for creating these chemicals. Minnesota-based 3M, also a producer of the chemical, is named in the lawsuit. Ridgewood Village Director Keith Kazmark told NJ Advance Media that its attorneys plan to file a motion to dismiss the case. In 2019, Ridgewood sued the chemical manufacturers in state court.
Kazmark stated, “They (companies) are the responsible parties, not Ridgewood Water or our customers, who are currently bearing the costs to clean up the contamination we didn’t create.”
Requests for comment from DuPont were not returned. A 3M spokesperson said the company would address the case in court and is funding remediation projects for these chemicals found in water supplies across the U.S. “3M will address PFAS litigation by defending itself in court or through negotiated resolutions, all as appropriate,” the company stated.
David E. Gray, Ehlbeck’s attorney, did not respond to requests for comment.
Environmental and Legal Context
This lawsuit comes as New Jersey environmentalists and authorities have ramped up efforts to address high levels of PFAS in public water systems. Earlier this year, the Biden administration announced a $1 billion investment to tackle these harmful substances nationwide.
In 1990, about five years before leaving his childhood home in Glen Rock, Ehlbeck developed testicular cancer and underwent radiation treatments. The lawsuit cites a 2023 study by Johns Hopkins Medicine linking chemical “marks” in male DNA to autistic traits in their children. Although the study, involving 45 men and 31 children, suggests broader research is needed to confirm these findings, it does not directly connect them to PFOA or other specific causes.
New Jersey’s Response to Forever Chemicals
In recent years, New Jersey has taken significant steps to combat forever chemicals. In 2019, the state set the maximum allowed perfluorononanoic acid in public drinking water at 13 parts per trillion. Last year, Solvay Specialty Polymers paid New Jersey $393 million to clean up forever chemicals around its plant near West Deptford in Gloucester Township.
As this lawsuit unfolds, it highlights the ongoing struggle and responsibility for addressing the long-lasting impact of these pervasive chemicals on public health and the environment.
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Yet Ridgewood Mayor, Paul Vagianos says PFAS is everywhere.
Why shouldn’t he…. we keep voting him back into office
because we are
(well… you know what we are)
We will have the opportunity to do otherwise very soon.
To mr. Mayor,
I am Scott Ehlbeck, it is very disappointing that you say these chemicals are everywhere, my cancer by the American cancer society is listed as very rear 10k out of 400 million contract this form of cancer, 4 ways listed by then dna my grandma was one of 8 nobody in my family had it, born with a demented testacal that required surgal intervention again not my case or exposer to raition again not me when my childhood home sold no radon gas was found, so that leaves exposure to forever chemicals in the drinking water, didn’t you take an oath of office to protect the people