Bloomberg: 3M targets $1 billion U.S. PFAS settlement

Industrial conglomerate 3M could reach a $10 billion (€9.3 billion) settlement with a number of US cities over PFAS pollution. The parties have reached a preliminary agreement on this, writes Bloomberg on the insider basis.

3M has been manufacturing poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short, for years, for fire-fighting foam and water-repellent clothing, for example. The substances are not degradable in nature and can hardly be eliminated by the human body, which raises concerns about the environment and public health. Several thousand lawsuits are pending against 3M from lower governments in the United States, who want the group to pay the costs of cleaning up “eternal chemicals” that have ended up in the ground or water.

The first hearing in a federal lawsuit for PFAS against 3M is expected to take place soon in the state of South Carolina. According to Bloomberg, the company hopes to avoid that showdown in court with a billion-dollar settlement. A company spokesperson would not comment on the rumors or speculation to the news agency.

3M states that PFAS are safe and that contamination with the substances does not pose a major risk to public health. Nevertheless, the American multinational will stop producing these substances from 2025. The American Federal Environment Agency has linked the group of chemicals to stunting in children and increased risk of cancer .

Not only 3M manufactures PFAS. Chemical companies DuPont, Chemours and Corteva are also doing it. The three companies on Friday announced a nearly $1.2 billion settlement with U.S. cities and local water agencies. This ends lawsuits for polluted groundwater.

In the Netherlands and Belgium, 3M is also frowned upon because of the chemicals. A branch of the group in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, near Antwerp, has been releasing PFAS into the Scheldt for years. This river flows into the Western Scheldt in Zeeland.

The Dutch state recently held 3M liable for all damage caused by these substances there. Last year, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) warned that various types of fish, crustaceans and shellfish in the Western Scheldt contain such high concentrations of PFAS that it was advisable to eat as little as possible.