Eva Stebel, a water researcher, pours a sample of water into a smaller glass container for testing as part of a study on drinking water and PFAS at the agency’s Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response. United States Environmental Protection Agency on February 16, 2023, in Cincinnati.
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
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Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Eva Stebel, a water researcher, pours a sample of water into a smaller glass container for testing as part of a study on drinking water and PFAS at the agency’s Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response. United States Environmental Protection Agency on February 16, 2023, in Cincinnati.
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. will pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over how many U.S. public drinking water systems were contaminated with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foams and a variety of products. consumer products, the company said on Thursday.
The agreement will compensate water suppliers for contamination with per- and polyfluorinated substances, collectively known as PFAS – a chemical widely used in non-stick, water and grease resistant products. such as clothing and cooking utensils.
Described as “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down naturally in the environment, PFAS have been linked to many health problems, including liver damage, the immune system, and some cancers.
The compounds have been detected to varying degrees in drinking water across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency in March proposed strict limits on two common types, PFOA and PFOS, and said it wanted to regulate four others. Water suppliers will be responsible for monitoring their systems for chemicals.
The settlement will settle a lawsuit scheduled for hearing earlier this month related to a complaint by Stuart, Florida, one of about 300 communities that have filed similar lawsuits against companies that make foams. fire or the PFAS it contains.
3M President Mike Roman said the deal was “an important step forward” based on the company’s decision in 2020 to phase out PFOA and PFOS as well as investments in “advanced water purification technology”. of our chemical manufacturing operations.” He said the company is based in St. Paul, Minnesota, will cease all PFAS production by the end of 2025.
Scott Summy, a Dallas-based attorney who was one of the heads, said the payment would be paid out over 13 years and could be as high as $12.5 billion, depending on the number of systems. Public water detects PFAS during testing that is required by the EPA for the next three years. attorneys for those suing 3M and other manufacturers.
He said the payment would help cover the cost of filtering PFAS from the systems it was discovered on and testing other systems.
The result is that millions of Americans will live healthier lives without PFAS in their drinking water, says Summy.
Earlier this month, three other companies – DuPont de Nemours Inc. and its subsidiaries Chemours Co. and Corteva Inc. – reached a $1.18 billion settlement to resolve PFAS complaints from approximately 300 drinking water suppliers. Several states, airports, firefighter training facilities and private well owners have also filed lawsuits.
The cases are pending in U.S. District Court in Charleston, South Carolina, where Judge Richard Gergel is overseeing thousands of PFAS damages claims. A complaint hearing by the city of Stuart, Florida, was scheduled to begin this month but was delayed to allow time for additional settlement negotiations.
Summy said most of the lawsuits stem from firefighter training exercises at airports, military bases and other locations across the United States that repeatedly used foam laced with high concentrations of PFAS.
The 3M settlement must be approved by the court, he said.
3M’s website says the company helped the US Navy develop foam containing the chemical PFAS in the 1960s.
“This is an important and life-saving tool to help fight dangerous fires, such as those caused by jet fuel,” the company said.
3M said participating in the settlement “is not an admission of liability” and said that if denied in court, “3M stands ready to continue to defend itself.”
Summy acknowledged that the cost of cleaning up PFAS from U.S. water systems could ultimately be much higher than the amount agreed upon in the settlements.
“I’m not sure anyone knows what that final number will be,” he said. “But I really think this will greatly reduce that cost … and you won’t need to litigate for the next decade or so.”
