The US industrial conglomerate 3M has agreed to pay $7.35 billion in compensation over personal injury claims linked to PFAS chemicals found in firefighting foam it manufactured, the company announced on Tuesday.
The settlement covers approximately 99% of claims brought in a lawsuit before a South Carolina court, involving more than 100,000 people who alleged exposure to the chemicals in the United States.
PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” are widely used in everyday products, including food packaging, cosmetics and electronics.
They break down extremely slowly and can accumulate in the environment, contaminating soil, water and food before entering the human body. Exposure to certain PFAS has been linked to serious health conditions, including cancer.
“This settlement represents an important milestone for 3M and substantially reduces litigation uncertainty,” the company’s chief executive, William Brown, said in a statement.
The agreement follows an earlier settlement approved by a US court in 2024, under which 3M agreed to pay up to $12.5 billion to public water suppliers to fund PFAS testing and clean-up operations.
The company previously pledged to stop manufacturing PFAS by the end of 2025 and says it has fulfilled that commitment. It is also investing in treatment technologies at sites where the chemicals were produced.
Much of the litigation concerns aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), a firefighting product used to extinguish fires, which contained PFAS.
However, 3M stressed that Tuesday’s agreement “does not constitute an admission of liability," adding that it was prepared to defend itself in court if certain settlement conditions were not met.
Legal action in Belgium
3M has also faced legal proceedings over PFAS pollution outside the United States.
In May, Australia announced legal action seeking $1.43 billion over alleged contamination at military bases linked to firefighting foam.
In Belgium, claimants are seeking approximately $35 million in damages over PFAS contamination they attribute to 3M’s factory in Zwijndrecht, in the Antwerp province.
The plant has been at the centre of concerns over PFAS pollution in Flanders, where contamination has prompted environmental and public health scrutiny.
