Australia sues 3M for record $1.4B over forever chemicals at bases

The Story

Australia has filed a lawsuit against U.S. company 3M for more than $1.4 billion over contamination from “forever chemicals” in firefighting foam used at defense bases. The suit, the government’s largest-ever compensation claim, concerns per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at 28 bases. 3M said it would fight the claim, stating it never manufactured PFAS in Australia and ceased sales of the products there about two decades ago.

Key Facts

• Australia is suing 3M for more than 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion).
• The lawsuit was filed in the Federal Court of Australia against 3M Company and 3M Australia.
• PFAS are human-made chemicals that do not break down naturally and are called “forever chemicals.”
• 3M stated it never manufactured PFAS in Australia and stopped selling the products in Australia around two decades ago, while the Australian Department of Defense continued using PFAS-containing foams for nearly two more decades.
• Attorney-General Michelle Rowland accused 3M of withholding information about environmental risks from the foam.
• The government seeks damages to recover expenses for investigating and managing contamination from the foam.
• Assistant Defense Minister Peter Khalil said the department has already spent AU$1.3 billion ($920 million) on managing environmental impacts, removed 200,000 metric tons of contaminated earth, and treated 13 billion liters of contaminated water.
• In 2018, the Defense Department warned residents near Richmond Air Base to reduce consumption of local fish and eggs after PFAS was found in groundwater.

Conflicting Reports

The article reports both Australia’s allegations that 3M withheld information and 3M’s denial, with 3M stating it stopped sales two decades ago and that the Defense Department continued using the foams.

Still Unclear

No open questions identified in the source article.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Attorney-General Michelle Rowland (Australian government)
• Assistant Defense Minister Peter Khalil (Australian government)
• 3M Company (defendant)
• 3M Australia (subsidiary defendant)

Sources: abcnews.com