Read the full article by Xanthe Gregory (ABC News)
“A US chemical manufacturer stands accused of withholding evidence that its firefighting products used by the Australian Defence Force were toxic and did not break down in the environment.
A mammoth Federal Court claim brought by the Australian government against 3M labels the company’s actions ‘intentional and reprehensible’.
It claims that by 1979, 3M knew that variants of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contained in its firefighting foam ‘persist indefinitely, bioaccumulate and bio-concentrate in both humans and animals’, were potentially toxic to animals and could migrate into drinking water.
The Commonwealth alleges that 3M and 3M Australia ‘continued to manufacture, market, distribute and sell’ aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for another 24 years, until at least 2003.
The statement of claim alleges ‘conscious, contumelious, contemptuous or outrageous disregard for the rights of the Commonwealth and the broader Australian public, including Defence personnel and those living in the areas surrounding the Bases, who have been affected by the presence and continued migration of … PFAS contamination’.”…