3M Settles PFAS Lawsuit for $12.5 Billion

New York, NY, June 23, 2023-"3M agreed to pay up to $12.5 billion to settle hundreds of lawsuits brought by cities that said their drinking water was contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’ the company made for decades,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

“The tentative national class-action settlement in a landmark environmental fight involving PFAS chemicals in firefighting foam was reached Thursday. 3M will pay between $10.5 billion and $12.5 billion, and the settlement will cover public water systems across the U.S., plaintiffs’ attorneys said.

“If completed, it would be among other major settlements involving litigation over products deemed to be health risks, including the massive agreements reached in lawsuits involving tobacco, opioids and asbestos.

“In the current case, the risk of exposure came from chemicals in firefighting foam that seeped into the ground in communities around the country.

“The move to resolve the current litigation comes as companies in numerous industries search for alternatives to PFAS-once used in everything from pizza boxes to cosmetics and semiconductors-and attempt to contain liabilities from decades of use.”