Johnson Controls to Pay $17.5 M to Settle PFAS and AFFF Firefighting Foam Lawsuits

Johnson Controls will pay $17.5 million to plaintiffs in class action and individual lawsuits relating to fire fighting foams used by its subsidiary Tyco Fire Products. The Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) contains polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which have been found to build up in the body through multiple exposures, causing serious illness including cancer. A spokesperson from Tyco Fire Products has said that this is not an admission of guilt, but rather a way to resolve the litigation so Tyco can “focus on the permanent solutions [they] have identified to get rid of the PFAS from [their] FTC.”