The American chemical company 3M has reached a billion-dollar settlement with public water companies in the United States over pollution with PFAS. That writes 3M Thursday in a press release. The settlement is worth 10.3 billion dollars (9.4 billion euros). The company emphasizes that the settlement does not admit liability.
PFAS refers to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, which are used in the US forever chemicals because they are so difficult to degrade. They are released during the production of cosmetics, cleaning products, cooking utensils and certain types of clothing and can cause cancer and skin diseases, among other things. In addition, the chemicals can cause damage to the environment and nature.
The money from the settlement will be paid to US water companies over the next thirteen years and is intended to detect and if necessary remove PFAS. From 2025, 3M, which is also active in the Netherlands, will stop producing the fabrics. Civil lawsuits are still pending against the chemical group in the US for, among other things, material damage, environmental damage and personal injury due to PFAS pollution.
People in the Netherlands also suffer from PFAS pollution from 3M. For years, a branch of the American company in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, discharged chemicals into the Scheldt, which flows to the Western Scheldt in Zeeland. According to the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), fish, crustaceans and shellfish in the Western Scheldt therefore contain dangerously high concentrations of PFAS. The Dutch state announced last month that 3M will be held liable for this damage.
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