3M settles ‘forever chemical’ personal injury claims for $7B

Manufacturing giant 3M has agreed to a $7.35 billion settlement over personal injury claims related to its manufacture of “forever chemicals” used in firefighting foam.

The settlement comes as the company has faced thousands of lawsuits over these chemicals, which have been linked to health issues including cancer and problems related to the immune system, thyroid and fertility.

Forever chemicals is the nickname for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also called PFAS, because they linger in the environment for hundreds or thousands of years instead of breaking down.

One major application of these chemicals has been military-grade firefighting foam, use of which has led to significant environmental pollution .

Many lawsuits related to the firefighting foam have been consolidated into what’s called multidistrict litigation.

3M said this week that it expects the settlement will cover between 115,000 and 120,000 plaintiffs and address 99 percent of personal injury claims.

The company separately settled claims from public water systems for more than $10 billion in 2023.

3M Chair and CEO William Brown said in a statement the settlement is “a significant milestone for 3M and substantially reduces litigation uncertainty.”

“Following our 2023 resolution with U.S. public water suppliers and our more recent settlement with the State of New Jersey, this is another important step in managing legacy PFAS matters,” Brown added.

Meanwhile, attorneys for people who sued the company said this week’s settlement represented accountability.

“For the thousands of victims who have sought answers and accountability for nearly a decade, 3M’s $7.35 billion settlement is welcome news,” Motley Rice attorneys Fred Thompson and David Hoyle said in a written statement.

They called the outcome a “favorable result for victims who are in urgent need of support to cover the mounting medical bills and other costs frequently associated with toxic PFAS exposure.”