Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. has reached a $10.3 billion settlement with several U.S. public drinking water systems to resolve allegations of contamination of “forever chemicals.”
The $10.3 billion agreement would settle a case that had been scheduled for trial earlier this month over a 2018 lawsuit brought by the city of Stuart, Florida. The judge overseeing the case delayed the trial the morning it was set to start.
The city alleged that 3M made or sold firefighting foams containing PFAS that polluted local soil and groundwater, and sought for more than $100 million for filtration and remediation.
Stuart is just one of about 300 communities that have filed similar suits against companies such as 3M that produced firefighting foam or the PFAS it contained.
3M itself is facing thousands of lawsuits alleging PFAS contamination that were not part of the latest settlement. Among the lawsuits are those filed by people with personal injury and property damage claims. U.S. states have also filed lawsuits citing damages to natural resources such as rivers and lakes.‘Not An Admission of Liability’
3M said the money in the settlement will help “support PFAS remediation for public water suppliers that detect PFAS at any level or may do so in the future.”The company noted the settlement is “not an admission of liability.”
“If the agreement is not approved by the court or certain agreed terms are not fulfilled, 3M is prepared to continue to defend itself in the litigation. 3M also will continue to address other PFAS litigation by defending itself in court or through negotiated resolutions, all as appropriate,” the company stated.
PFAS is an acronym for invisible man-made chemicals called per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, which are known for their resistance to grease, oil, water, and heat. They are colloquially referred as “forever chemicals” because they don’t easily break down in the human body or the environment.
“We have reached the largest drinking water settlement in American history, which will be used to help filter PFAS from drinking water that is served to the public,” Dallas-based attorney Scott Summy, a lead attorney for the water systems suing 3M and other manufacturers, said in a statement.
“The result is that millions of Americans will have healthier lives without PFAS in their drinking water.” The settlement is subject to court approval, he added.
3M chairman and CEO Mike Roman said the agreement “is an important step forward” for the company.
He noted that 3M had announced in 2000 it would phase out PFOA and PFOS. More recently, the company has been investing in water filtration technology in its chemical manufacturing operations and announced in December 2022 that it will stop all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025, Roman said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called PFAS an “urgent public health and environmental issue.” In recent years, the agency has taken several steps to tighten regulations for PFAS, and in March, it announced the first-ever national drinking water standards for six of the PFAS chemicals.
Earlier this month, three other major chemicals companies—Chemours Co., DuPont de Nemours Inc., and Corteva Inc.—announced they had reached an agreement in principle for about $1.18 billion to resolve allegations from about 300 drinking water providers that the companies had polluted many U.S. public drinking water systems with PFAS.
