Judge Asks for Crash Course in the Science of PFAS Chemicals (1)

One judge in South Carolina is recognizing his own shortcomings, at least when it comes to science: Before embarking on a major “forever chemicals” case, he’s asking lawyers to arrange a crash course.

Judge Richard M. Gergel held the so-called “Science Day” Oct. 4, before he begins to hear testimony in a wide-ranging product liability trial involving PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are linked to a host of health problems.

Several scientists who study these chemicals came to the judge’s courtroom in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina to educate him about how ...