The 3M Company, a major multinational headquartered in Maplewood, Minnesota, has agreed to pay out some $10.3 billion to American communities which accuse it of polluting public water supplies with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, commonly known as PFAS.
These “forever chemicals” have been linked to a range of health issues, including increased cancer risk, decreased fertility, hormone disruption, and developmental issues in children.
Some 4,000 states and municipalities were reportedly bringing lawsuits against 3M, which has agreed to provide funding of up to $10.3 billion to public water suppliers that have detected PFAS in drinking water over a 13-year period. The disease burden costs associated with PFAS have been estimated at “at least $5.52 billion” every year, however, plus “associated social costs of… as much as $62.6 billion.”
The multinational has stressed that the settlement is “not an admission of liability,” adding that if it the payments are “not approved by the court or certain agreed terms are not fulfilled, 3M is prepared to continue to defend itself in the litigation.”
