This property has a documented history as a facility using PFAS-containing firefighting foam predating 1986. Historical insurance policies issued during operations at this property and through 1986 could fund a cleanup.

Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible

Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.

AFFF use at SeaTac Airport was federally mandated from at least the 1970s, placing the contamination's origin well before 1986 — the threshold year for occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies that carried no effective pollution exclusion. The PFAS contamination documented in soil and groundwater here is the product of decades of mandated foam applications, a continuous-release scenario that pre-1986 CGL policies were broadly written to address. Historical carriers who issued occurrence-based policies to the Port of Seattle or its contractors during that operational window may bear obligations toward the investigation and remediation costs that now lie ahead.

Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.