Chemical maker 3M will pay up to $7.35 billion to settle lawsuits filed by people who say they are sickened by groundwater contamination by compounds used in firefighting foam and other consumer products.
The St. Paul, Minn.-based company announced the settlement Tuesday. It will pay money over nine years to 120,000 people who say they were injured by exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS. The chemicals contaminated groundwater near military bases, airports and other places where foam was used to put out fires.
3M did not admit liability for the contamination under the agreement.
Called “forever chemicals” because they don’t naturally break down in the environment, PFAS have been linked to health problems, including liver and immune system damage and some cancers. The chemicals are also used in non-stick, water- and grease-resistant products, including clothing and cookware.
3M Chairman William Brown called the settlement a “significant milestone” that significantly reduces uncertainty related to the litigation. The company has previously reached settlements in other PFAS-related lawsuits, including a $450 million deal with the State of New Jersey to settle claims over natural resource contamination and an agreement to pay more than $10 billion to numerous individuals Public drinking water systems in the United States.
Other manufacturers, including DuPont de Nemours Inc. and spinoffs Chemours Co. and Corteva Inc., have agreed to settlements totaling more than $1 billion to resolve PFAS claims.
Fred Thompson, an attorney with the Motley Rice law firm who helped negotiate the 3M settlement for the plaintiffs, called the news welcome for “the thousands of victims who have been seeking answers and accountability for nearly a decade.”
He said in a news release that the plaintiffs urgently need help covering mounting medical bills and other costs.
Under the terms of the settlement, payments will begin at $50 million this year, followed by annual payments of more than $1 billion each year from 2028 to 2033.
3M could make additional payments if enough plaintiffs participate. If too few signatories, 3M has the option to overturn the settlement and continue fighting the lawsuit.
Environmental activists say PFAS manufacturers knew of the chemicals’ health risks long before they were made public. They noted that the same attributes that make chemicals so valuable in many uses – resistance to degradation – also make them dangerous to humans.
The Environmental Protection Agency has set strict standards limits on PFAS in drinking water utilities and requires testing, but these rules do not apply to private wells.
A study that would help federal regulators understand which industries are discharging these everlasting chemicals with their wastewater was blocked for two years, awaiting review by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
___ Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.
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