Read the full article by Catie Edmondson and Laura Chung (New York Times).
“The Australian government said on Thursday that it was suing 3M for more than $1.4 billion in damages, alleging that the American industrial conglomerate had concealed information about the harmful effects of ‘forever chemicals’ used at more than two dozen military sites across the country.
The lawsuit is the largest ever brought by the Australian government, Michelle Rowland, the country’s attorney general, told reporters in Canberra, the capital.
‘This is a government that is prepared to take on one of the biggest multinational corporations in the world,’ Ms. Rowland said.
The case is the latest in a wave of legal actions against the Minnesota-based company over contamination linked to PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. In 2024, 3M agreed to pay $10.3 billion over a decade to public water suppliers in the United States. State and local governments, including those in Minnesota, Alabama and New Jersey, have also sued the company and received settlements.”…