You could be compensated for remediation in tearing out and replacing your Shaw and Mohawk branded carpet installed inside your home.
Shaw and Mohawk (and their affiliate companies) knowingly used the carcinogenic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS to add stain-resistance to its carpets (the “PFAS Carpet Products”). These companies used PFAS in manufacturing their carpets for more than four decades, while only recently pledging to allegedly phase out all PFAS use by the year 2025. However, the damage has already been done. PFAS Carpet Products contaminate the homes and indoor spaces where they are installed and increase the risk of adverse health events of those who encounter PFAS Carpet Products.
Those who have Shaw and/or Mohawk carpet installed in their home may be able to hold these companies liable for the harm they have caused. Call the mass tort attorneys with Paul LLP Trial Attorneys at (816) 984-8100 today to learn more.
An Overview of PFAS “Forever Chemicals”
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (collectively, “PFAS”) are man-made chemicals that do not occur naturally in the environment. PFAS chemicals are comprised of carbon and fluorine atoms bound together by a chain, commonly known as “C8,” “C6,” or “C4” chains. PFAS are extremely stable, which makes them able to repel oil and water, while being resistant to heat and chemical reactions.
PFAS have no environmental breakdown mechanisms. Instead, they bioaccumulate and biomagnify in human and animal tissues, dubbing them “forever chemicals.” When humans ingest PFAS, they bind to plasma proteins in the blood and are readily absorbed and distributed throughout the body, causing long-term damage to the blood, liver, kidneys, and other organs.
Harmful Effects of PFAS
Exposure to PFAS has been linked to a variety of health effects, including cancers, immunotoxicity, thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, high cholesterol, reproductive issues, growth delays in children, hormonal imbalances, liver disease, lipid and insulin dysregulation, and other diseases. PFAS can be ingested or inhaled through dust particles, enter bloodstreams and cause various adverse health effects. Further, fetuses, infants, and toddlers are more susceptible to PFAS’s harmful effects. Indeed, PFAS may pass through mothers’ umbilical cords, which can cause serious birth defects.
PFAS Transmission through Carpets
PFAS dislodges from carpet fibers into air and dust. Surface abrasion can release PFAS from textile fibers via small particles, which can then become resuspended.
Because Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, they are at a high risk for encountering these PFAS Carpet Products at home, work, public buildings, and more. When compared to outdoor air samples, indoor air can have more than 1,000 times higher levels of PFAS-related chemicals such as Fluorotelomer alcohols (“FTOH”), a sub-class of PFAS chemicals.
Regulations Regarding PFAS
In 2005, one of the companies that manufactured PFAS paid a $10.25 million penalty for failing to disclose to the Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) the health risks and nondegradable qualities of these chemicals. In 2006, another company that manufactured PFAS paid a $1.5 million penalty for concealing from the EPA the same issues.
In the May 2015 Madrid Statement on PFAS, scientists and other professionals concerned about the continued production and release of PFAS into the environment, called for greater regulation, restrictions, limits on the manufacture and handling of any PFAS-containing product, and to develop safe, non-fluorinated alternatives to avoid long-term health effects from PFAS.
In 2016, the EPA released a lifetime health advisory level (“HAL”) for drinking water and health effects support documents for PFAS, and the National Toxicology Program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer both released analyses on the growing research regarding the adverse effects of fluorochemicals. These studies concluded that PFAS are presumed to be an “immune hazard to humans” based on a “consistent pattern of findings” of adverse immune effects in human (epidemiology) studies.
In 2016, the National Institute of Health in a NTP Monograph Health Assessment stated, “PFOA and PFOS are immune hazards to humans based on evidence from human and animal studies.”
The National Institute of Health has now conducted multiple studies involving short-chain PFAS exposure and toxicity levels and found these shorter-chain compounds still affected the same organ systems, the liver, and thyroid hormones, in a 28-day toxicity study. Also, both long chain and short chain compounds, including 16 different types of PFAS, altered mitochondrial functions.
Further, the National Cancer Institute and Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics listed certain PFAS as human carcinogens in 2023.
In 2024, the EPA finalized a critical rule to help clean up PFAS contamination in order to protect the public’s health by declaring PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as “Superfund,” and will help ensure that polluters pay to clean up their contamination. The designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under CERCLA enables the agency to use one of its strongest enforcement tools to compel polluters to pay for or conduct investigations and cleanup, rather than taxpayers.
In 2025, the EPA added nine more PFAS chemicals to the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI”), bringing the total to 205 PFAS chemicals required to be reported by companies using such chemicals. All 205 PFAS chemicals are subject to the EPA’s action, put in place in October 2023, to classify all PFAS subject to TRI reporting as “chemicals of special concern.” Among other impacts, this removes the use of a reporting exemption that allowed facilities to avoid reporting information on PFAS when those chemicals were used in small concentrations.
Eligibility to Join the Cases against Shaw and Mohawk
You might be able to join the litigation against Shaw and/or Mohawk if you:
- Bought a house with stain-resistant Shaw and/or Mohawk and that carpet is still installed in your home;
- Bought and installed stain-resistant Shaw and/or Mohawk carpet that is still installed in your home; and
- Reside in the United States.
It is important to note that no personal injury (medical diagnosis of any sort) is necessary to join.
Compensation in the Shaw and/or Mohawk Litigation
Our firm is pursuing remediation damages against both Shaw and Mohawk for their actions in producing the harmful PFAS Carpet Products installed in homes across America. These damages would include Shaw and/or Mohawk paying to replace the contaminated carpets.
Seek Justice with Help from Paul LLP Trial Attorneys
You deserve the chance to hold these companies accountable. Let Paul LLP Trial Attorneys help you fight for justice and compensation you deserve.
Call us at (816) 984-8100 for your free consultation if you have Shaw and/or Mohawk carpet installed within your home.
