3M says it has stopped making PFAS chemicals
3M told FOX 9 it has met its pledge to stop manufacturing PFAS by the end of 2025, ending more than 70 years of production of the so‑called 'forever chemicals' that contaminated east‑metro groundwater and helped fuel a global pollution crisis. The Maplewood-based company, which began making PFAS in the 1950s for products such as Scotchgard, has already paid nearly $14 billion to settle PFAS lawsuits and paid Minnesota nearly $900 million in 2018 to fund east‑metro drinking‑water cleanup — money that is now running down even as contamination and lawsuits continue. 3M says it has invested $1 billion in water‑treatment systems at its largest water‑using facilities and will keep operating those to handle legacy pollution, but it has recently questioned some state and local remediation projects, raising fears in affected suburbs about who will pay to finish cleanup when settlement dollars are exhausted. The article also points readers to a FOX 9 documentary and timeline showing internal 3M research and company decisions that, according to plaintiffs and regulators, delayed public disclosure of PFAS dangers.
📌 Key Facts
- 3M says it has 'completed' its exit from PFAS manufacturing as scheduled by the end of 2025, fulfilling a 2022 pledge.
- The company has paid nearly $14 billion to settle PFAS-related litigation worldwide, including a nearly $900 million settlement with Minnesota in 2018 over east‑metro groundwater contamination.
- State-managed settlement funds for east‑metro cleanup are running out, and 3M has challenged some proposed remediation projects, raising community concern over how future public drinking‑water treatment will be funded.
- 3M says it has invested $1 billion globally in water‑treatment systems at its biggest water‑using sites to treat PFAS from historic manufacturing.
📊 Relevant Data
Exposure to PFAS is associated with increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers, reduced ability of the body's immune system to fight infections, increased cholesterol levels, and changes in liver enzymes.
Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS — EPA
In the United States, communities with higher proportions of Black and Hispanic/Latino residents are more likely to be exposed to harmful levels of PFAS in drinking water, with systems serving these populations showing elevated PFAS concentrations.
Communities of color disproportionately exposed to PFAS pollution in drinking water — Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Black individuals in the US tend to have higher concentrations of PFOS and their precursors in their blood compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
In 2020, Washington County, Minnesota, affected by 3M PFAS contamination, had a population composition of 78.4% White (Non-Hispanic), 7.28% Asian (Non-Hispanic), 4.89% Black or African American (Non-Hispanic), 4.56% Two+ (Non-Hispanic), and 3.85% White (Hispanic).
Washington County, MN — Data USA
3M conducted studies as early as the 1950s showing that PFAS chemicals could build up in blood, but hid these risks from the public and continued production.
For decades, polluters knew PFAS chemicals were dangerous but hid risks from public — EWG
Approximately 158 million people in the US are exposed to PFAS in drinking water, based on 2025 EPA data.
New EPA data shows 158M people exposed to 'forever chemicals' in US — EWG
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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