Litigation and the long tail risks of PFAS

The insurance market is facing a number of challenges from the long tail risks that have emerged from the wide-ranging use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals, according to Liberty Specialty Markets. In a recent insight, “A chemical catharsis: the consequences of the ‘Forever Chemicals’”, Darren Fairest, senior casualty risk engineer – European operations, Liberty Specialty Markets, explains that PFAs are commonly used in a wide range of consumer products from paint to food packaging, cosmetics, clothes, and laundry products. Research suggests that they may present significant and unquantified long-tail risks to health and the environment.