OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington is taking action against toxic chemicals and some of the companies that have produced them.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a lawsuit against more than 20 companies that have produced so-called forever chemicals.

The substances, known at PFAS, have been used for years in products from fire-fighting foam to non-stick cookware.

They do not break down once they enter the environment and build up in the bodies of animals and humans.

His lawsuit asks that the companies pay billions to clean-up the chemicals and mitigate damage they have done to the environment.

Meanwhile, Department of Ecology Director Laura Watson has signed rules banning PFAS and other toxic chemicals from plastics, beverage liners and other products.

The rules are mandated by the Safer Products for Washington law that was passed in 2019.