Eva Stebel, water researcher, pours a water sample into a smaller glass container for experimentation as part of drinking water and PFAS research at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Center For Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response on Feb. 16, 2023, in Cincinnati. The 3M chemical company announced Thursday, June, 22, 2023 a $10.3 billion settlement with U.S. water utilities and agencies over PFAS pollution that will allow them to test and treat drinking water contaminated with these “forever chemicals."

(AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)

At a Glance

The agreement settles lawsuits over contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with pollutants known as PFAS.PFAS are called "forever chemicals" because they don't degrade naturally in the environment.The settlement is subject to court approval.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. has agreed to pay at least $10.3 billion over "forever chemicals" in water, the company said Thursday.

The agreement settles lawsuits over contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with pollutants known as PFAS, which are potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam and a host of consumer products including some nonstick cookware and water-resistant clothing.

PFAS are called "forever chemicals" because they don't degrade naturally in the environment. They've been linked to a variety of health problems, including liver and immune-system damage and some cancers.

(​MORE: Signs Of PFAs Discovered In Contacts)

The compounds have been detected at varying levels in drinking water around the nation. The Environmental Protection Agency in March proposed strict limits on two common types, PFOA and PFOS, and said it wanted to regulate four others. Water providers would be responsible for monitoring their systems for the chemicals.

The agreement would settle a case that was scheduled for trial earlier this month involving a claim by Stuart, Florida, one of about 300 communities that have filed similar suits against companies that produced firefighting foam or the PFAS it contained.

3M chairman Mike Roman said the deal was "an important step forward" that builds on the company's decision in 2020 to phase out PFOA and PFOS and its investments in "state-of-the-art water filtration technology in our chemical manufacturing operations." The company, based in St. Paul, Minnesota, will halt all PFAS production by the end of 2025, he said.

(​MORE: Toxic Forever Chemicals Found In Fast Food Packaging)

The settlement will be paid over 13 years and could reach as high as $12.5 billion, depending on how many public water systems detect PFAS during testing that EPA has required in the next three years, said Dallas-based attorney Scott Summy, one of the lead attorneys for those suing 3M and other manufacturers.

The payment will help cover costs of filtering PFAS from systems where it's been detected and testing others, he said.

"The result is that millions of Americans will have healthier lives without PFAS in their drinking water," Summy said.

(MORE: EPA Moves To Limit 'Forever Chemicals' In Drinking Water)

Earlier this month, three other companies — DuPont de Nemours Inc. and spinoffs Chemours Co. and Corteva Inc. — reached a $1.18 billion deal to resolve PFAS complaints by about 300 drinking water providers. A number of states, airports, firefighter training facilities and private well owners also have sued.

The cases are pending in U.S. District Court in Charleston, South Carolina, where Judge Richard Gergel is overseeing thousands of complaints alleging PFAS damages. A trial of a complaint by the city of Stuart, Florida, had been scheduled to begin this month but was delayed to allow time for additional settlement negotiations.

Most of the lawsuits have stemmed from firefighter training exercises at airports, military bases and other sites around the U.S. that repeatedly used foams laced with high concentrations of PFAS, Summy said.

(MORE: Air Pollution May Increase Risk Of Dementia, Analysis Finds)

The 3M settlement is subject to court approval, he said.

3M's website says the company helped the U.S. Navy develop foams containing PFAS chemicals in the 1960s.

"This was an important and life-saving tool that helped combat dangerous fires, like those caused by jet fuel," the company said.

3M said its participation in the settlement "is not an admission of liability" and said if it was rejected in court, "3M is prepared to continue to defend itself."

The cost of cleansing PFAS from U.S. water systems eventually could go much higher than the sums agreed to in the settlements, Summy acknowledged.

"I'm not sure anyone knows what that ultimate number will be," he said. "But I do think this is going to make a huge dent in that cost ... and you don't have to litigate for the next decade or longer."

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