"3M pays $10.3bn to settle water pollution suit over ‘forever chemicals'", 22 Jun 2023

3M Co has reached a $10.3bn settlement with a host of US public water systems to resolve water pollution claims tied to “forever chemicals”...

The company said the settlement would provide the funds over a 13-year period to cities, towns and other public water systems to test for and treat contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.

3M, which is facing thousands of lawsuits over PFAS contamination, did not admit liability, and said the money will help support remediation at public water systems that detect PFAS “at any level”.

“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,” Scott Summy, a lead attorney for the water systems suing 3M, said in a statement.

Stuart [Florida] claimed in its 2018 lawsuit that the company made or sold firefighting foams containing PFAS that polluted local soil and groundwater, and sought more than $100m for filtration and remediation. It was one of more than 4,000 lawsuits filed against 3M and other chemical companies..

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)… has taken several steps in recent years to tighten regulations for the chemicals, and in March announced the first-ever national drinking water standards for six of the chemicals.

3M in December set a 2025 deadline to stop producing PFAS…

3M still faces PFAS-related lawsuits filed by individuals with personal injury and property damage claims, as well as by US states over damages to natural resources such as rivers and lakes that were not part of the settlement.