https://sputnikglobe.com/20230623/us-chemical-giant-strikes-10-bln-settlement-over-forever-chemicals-in-water-1111422648.html
US Chemical Giant Strikes $10 Bln Settlement Over 'Forever Chemicals' in Water
US Chemical Giant Strikes $10 Bln Settlement Over 'Forever Chemicals' in Water
Sputnik International
Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. has agreed to pay around $10.3 billion to settle a spate of lawsuits in connection with contamination of public drinking water systems across the US with toxic PFAS chemicals.
2023-06-23T14:17+0000
2023-06-23T14:17+0000
2023-06-23T14:17+0000
americas
us
per- and polyfluorinated substances (pfas)
environmental protection agency (epa)
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Chemical manufacturer 3M Co., has agreed to pay around $10.3 billion to settle a spate of lawsuits in connection with the contamination of public drinking water systems across the US with harmful chemicals.The sum is to be disbursed over 13 years, with the costs anticipated to rise even higher than initially detailed in the deal, depending on how many public water systems detect perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during testing. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required the testing to be carried out in the next three years, according to attorney Scott Summy, who represents those suing the manufacturer.The payment detailed in the settlement, which still requires court approval, will help cover costs of filtering PFAS from systems where it's been detected and testing others, Summy added.Currently, 3M Co. is facing close to 4,000 lawsuits by US states, counties and municipalities for PFAS contamination. However, even after the deal, the manufacturing giant failed to admit any liability, adding that the settlement covered remedial action extended to water suppliers that detected the chemical “at any level or may do so in the future.”The agreement was hailed as “an important step forward for 3M” by Mike Roman, chairman and CEO, and was based on “our announcement that we will exit all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025.”The Chemours Company, DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and Corteva Inc. earlier in June reached a $1.18 billion deal to settle PFAS-linked complaints by around 300 drinking water providers.Overall, thousands of complaints are said to have been filed by everything ranging from US states, firefighter training facilities, and airports, to owners of private wells, regarding water tainted with these chemicals. According to Scott Summy, a greater part of the lawsuits are linked to firefighter training exercises hosted by airports and military bases, The foams utilized are laced with high concentrations of PFAS, Summy clarified.The toxic synthetic chemicals have been discovered in the bloodstream of nearly all Americans, including newborns, with an estimated 200 million Americans regularly exposed to PFAS through tap water, according to a peer-reviewed 2020 study.Earlier in the year, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the first time advocated nationwide standards for a number of chemical pollutants related to PFAS. The proposed standards would cover six PFASs that contaminate drinking water in the US.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20220226/pfas-have-contaminated-us-drinking-water-wells-according-to-a-usgs-study-1093380548.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230602/us-companies-knew-forever-chemicals-health-risks-from-the-start---report-1110857658.html
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suit, deal, lawsuit, forever chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, pfas, contaminated drinking water, tainted water, synthetic compounds, firefighting foam, nonstick coatings,
suit, deal, lawsuit, forever chemicals, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, pfas, contaminated drinking water, tainted water, synthetic compounds, firefighting foam, nonstick coatings,
US Chemical Giant Strikes $10 Bln Settlement Over 'Forever Chemicals' in Water
Manufacturer and distributor of an array of industrial products and solutions, 3M Co., had been facing claims from numerous US cities and municipalities that the company contaminated drinking water with PFAS - a group of synthetic compounds dubbed "forever chemicals" that are used in everything from firefighting foam to nonstick coatings.
Chemical manufacturer 3M Co., has agreed to pay around $10.3 billion to settle a spate of lawsuits in connection with the contamination of public drinking water systems across the US with
harmful chemicals.
The sum is to be disbursed over 13 years, with the costs anticipated to rise even higher than initially detailed in the deal, depending on how many public water systems detect perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) during testing. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required the testing to be carried out in the next three years, according to attorney Scott Summy, who represents those suing the manufacturer.
The payment detailed in the settlement, which still requires court approval, will help cover costs of filtering PFAS from systems where it's been detected and testing others, Summy added.
"The result is that millions of Americans will have healthier lives without PFAS in their drinking water," Summy said.
Currently, 3M Co. is facing close to 4,000 lawsuits by US states, counties and municipalities for PFAS contamination. However, even after the deal, the manufacturing giant failed to admit any liability, adding that the settlement covered remedial action extended to water suppliers that detected the chemical “at any level or may do so in the future.”
The agreement was hailed as “an important step forward for 3M” by Mike Roman, chairman and CEO, and was based on “our announcement that we will exit all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025.”
26 February 2022, 00:08 GMT
The Chemours Company, DuPont de Nemours, Inc., and Corteva Inc. earlier in June reached a $1.18 billion deal to settle PFAS-linked complaints by around 300 drinking water providers.
Overall, thousands of complaints are said to have been filed by everything ranging from US states, firefighter training facilities, and airports, to owners of private wells, regarding water tainted with these chemicals. According to Scott Summy, a greater part of the lawsuits are linked to firefighter training exercises hosted by airports and military bases, The foams utilized are laced with high concentrations of PFAS, Summy clarified.
Forever Chemicals is the unofficial name for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - dubbed so for their resistance to breaking down. Various studies have linked PFAS to the development of cancer, autoimmune disorders, liver and kidney damage, reduced immune functions and other serious diagnoses. Persistently remaining in the human body and the environment, they have also been detected in hundreds of wild animal species around the world.
The toxic synthetic chemicals have been discovered in the bloodstream of nearly all Americans, including newborns, with an estimated 200 million Americans regularly exposed to PFAS through tap water, according to a peer-reviewed
2020 study.Earlier in the year, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the first time advocated nationwide standards for a number of chemical pollutants related to PFAS. The
proposed standards would cover
six PFASs that contaminate drinking water in the US.
