Australia files A$2 billion lawsuit against 3M over PFAS contamination at defence sites
By
Lana Lam
4d ago· 2 min readenNews
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Summary
The Australian government is suing 3M and 3M Australia for A$2 billion over PFAS ("forever chemicals") contamination from firefighting foam used at defence sites. The lawsuit, the largest ever brought by the government, seeks to hold the company accountable for environmental and economic harms. PFAS are known for their water-resistant and non-stick properties but are persistent in the environment. The government has already spent over $1 billion investigating, remediating, and mitigating the contamination at defence estate sites.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledThis misconduct has contributed to substantial costs for defence and the Australian taxpayer, including over $1bn to date to investigate, remediate and mitigate PFAS contamination at defence estate sites.
Make no mistake, this legal action against 3M is significant.
the government was committed to holding 3M and 3M Australia to account 'for the economic and environmental harms associated with PFAS contamination'
The A$2bn case, which centres on contamination at defence sites, is the largest ever brought by the government.
