Plentiful sunshine. High around 70F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 58F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.

Attorney General Maura Healey, at podium, was joined by Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan, Sen. Julian Cyr, Geoff Beckwith from the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts President Rich MacKinnon, and others to announce a lawsuit against 13 companies that manufactured “forever chemicals” used in firefighting foam.

Attorney General Maura Healey, at podium, was joined by Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan, Sen. Julian Cyr, Geoff Beckwith from the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts President Rich MacKinnon, and others to announce a lawsuit against 13 companies that manufactured “forever chemicals” used in firefighting foam.

BOSTON — The state’s top law enforcement officer is taking aim at manufacturers of “forever chemicals” with a federal lawsuit alleging more than a dozen companies deceived the state and local governments about the risks of exposure to the toxic compounds and saddled them with cleanup costs.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Maura Healey announced that Massachusetts has filed a legal challenge in U.S. District Court in South Carolina against 13 companies that make firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals, and two other firms accused of shielding assets that could have been used to clean up the contamination.

Healey said the companies continued to make and sell fire fighting foam containing PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances for decades, despite evidence that the toxic compounds are harmful to human health and polluting the environment.

“Their actions violated state and federal laws that are intended to protect residents and place costly burdens on our communities that are now forced to clean up this mess,” Healey told reporters at a briefing. “We’re holding these manufacturers accountable for their deception by requiring them to pay back every last dollar our state has spent on their products to clean up the contamination.”

Among the companies named in the lawsuit are 3M Company, Steam Chemicals, Dupont, Tyco, Chemguard, Arkema and AGC Chemicals, according to Healey’s office.

The legal challenge, which doesn’t specify how much the state is seeking from the companies, adds to more than 700 other lawsuits filed by states and local governments against manufacturers of the toxic compounds, which also have been used to make products ranging from non-stick frying pans to cosmetics.

In a statement, 3M Company said its “acted responsibly” in the manufacturing and sale of its PFAS-based firefighting foam and “will vigorously defend its record of environmental stewardship.”

Aqueous film-forming foam was a critical tool developed to serve an important need for military service members facing potentially life-threatening challenges,” the statement said. “To this day, the only product that meets the military specification governing firefighting foam is PFAS-based AFFF, due to these substances’ unique and life-saving properties.”

Martin Suuberg, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said state and local governments are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to clean up PFAS contamination. He said the lawsuit will hold polluters accountable “by bringing to the table those who are responsible for the production of this product.”

A report released by a legislative commission in April suggested that Massachusetts faces a looming public health threat from PFAS compounds and called for tougher laws to reduce consumer use of the compounds, along with and more state and federal funds to remove contamination.

The Legislature’s PFAS Interagency Task Force recommended pursuing litigation against known PFAS manufacturers to help the state recoup the costs for testing and remediation. It also called new purchasing standards for firefighters and other first responders whose clothing and gear often contain PFAS compounds.

State Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, the committee’s Senate chair, said during Wednesday’s briefing that the lawsuit would “help garner the resources” needed to address the problem and punish those responsible for the contamination.

PFAS compounds were also used to make consumer products ranging from raincoats to upholstery and have been dubbed “forever chemicals” because they accumulate in the human body and can take thousands of years to degrade.

Research has found potential links to illnesses such as kidney cancer and high cholesterol, as well as complications in pregnancies.

Firefighting foams that contain PFAS substances are used to extinguish fires involving highly combustible materials, such as those in gas tankers or oil refineries.

Richard McKinnon, president of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, welcomed the AG’s legal challenge. He said it will help deal with an “epidemic” of occupational cancer among firefighters that’s been linked to PFAS chemicals.

“More firefighters die of occupational cancer than anything we face,” he said Wednesday.

Dozens of states are weighing proposals to eliminate PFAS in food packaging, firefighting foam and other products, in addition to setting limits on the amount of contaminants found in water.

Massachusetts was among the first states to regulate PFAS chemicals in drinking water, and it boasts one of the toughest standards in the country.

The state Department of Environmental Protection requires drinking water systems to test for PFAS under rules that went into effect last year. The state requires a plan to remove the contamination if tests for any of six types of PFAS exceed concentrations of 20 parts per trillion, or ppt.

More than two dozen Massachusetts communities have drinking water systems that exceed those levels and are working to remove the contamination.

A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found PFAS compounds in 27 Massachusetts rivers and brooks, including the Merrimack and Shawsheen rivers. In many cases, levels exceeded the state’s standard for drinking water of 20 parts per trillion.

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@northofboston.com.

Home delivery and Digital Access customers of the Gloucester Daily Times get deals for restaurants, hotels, attractions and other businesses, locally and across the country.

See our e-edition for a full replica of today’s newspaper. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, see our special entertainment pages with TV listings, comics and puzzles.

Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox.

First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.