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Marsh exec discusses how insurers are adapting to PFAS risk
The environmental insurance market is using more sophisticated underwriting to evaluate PFAS exposures as standards, toxicity thresholds, and cleanup methods continue to evolve.
Risk & Insurance spoke with Corinne Dougherty, a vice president at Marsh Risk and a 2026 Power Broker winner in the environmental category, about how the commercial insurance landscape is changing as environmental liabilities become more complex. Dougherty said her background in environmental science and work as an environmental consultant helped her move into environmental insurance, where she now focuses on technical understanding and commercial problem-solving for transactions. She noted that environmental risk has shifted from mostly site-specific contamination issues toward a broader mix driven by emerging contaminants, with PFAS standing out. She said what can start as a limited legacy issue may turn into a widespread, high-cost problem because PFAS toxicity thresholds, remediation standards, and cleanup methods are still evolving, alongside rising regulatory and litigation risk that can affect valuations, financing, and whether deals can proceed. Dougherty added that insurers have adapted, with underwriters taking a more sophisticated approach to evaluating PFAS exposures, and that coverage can be meaningful when risks are supported by good data or mitigation plans instead of relying on blanket exclusions.