Settlement
On June 22, 2023, 3M settled for an amount of a staggering USD 12.5 billion with public water systems that detect PFAS in their drinking water supplies. This is the largest settlement ever reached in the field of drinking water contamination in the US.
3M and several other companies are accused of manufacturing products containing PFAS, while being aware that these chemicals pollute the environment and pose potential health risks to humans.
PFAS are man-made chemicals used in the production of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), a fire suppressant previously used at airports, military bases, and firefighting training centers to combat and extinguish fires. 3M was the sole company manufacturing AFFF with PFOS, a particularly harmful form of PFAS that has been linked to an increased risk of cancer and other severe health conditions.The settlement follows another substantial settlement of over USD 1 billion with DuPont. Since 2018, approximately 300 drinking water suppliers have filed similar lawsuits. Many of these lawsuits are based on the allegation that the use of AFFF is the primary source of PFAS contamination, while fire suppression foam with safer chemicals could have been produced.