Australia Sues Consumer Goods Giant 3M Over 'Forever Chemicals'

Australia’s government said Thursday it had launched an AU$2 billion ($1.43 billion) legal action against US consumer goods giant 3M over the contamination of military bases that used firefighting foam containing so-called “forever chemicals”.

Assistant Minister for Defence Peter Khalil told reporters the Australian government was seeking damages to recover the cost of managing environmental contamination at 28 bases from per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

It was the most significant legal action taken by an Australian government, he said.

The defence force had already removed 200,000 tonnes of PFAS from soil because of the risk to communities, he said.

“We are prepared to take on one of the biggest multinational corporations in the world,” said Attorney-General Michelle Rowland.

In a statement, the Australian government said action was being lodged in the Federal Court, where it alleges 3M knew about the environmental risks of the firefighting foam and did not disclose them.

“3M gave assurances about disposal and environmental safety that were inconsistent with what the company knew at the time,” the statement read.

In a statement emailed to AFP, 3M vowed to “defend ourselves against these claims through the legal process”.

“3M has never manufactured PFAS in Australia and ceased sales of the products at issue in Australia around two decades ago,” a spokesperson said.

The US multinational maker of Post-it and Scotch tape also reached a $10 billion settlement in the United States in 2023 over contamination of water supplies.

Known as “forever chemicals” as they take an extremely long time to break down, PFAS are human-made chemicals that repel heat, water and oil, and are used in nonstick pans, stain-proof carpets and other products.

They are increasingly being restricted across the world due to adverse health effects.

Despite Australia’s defence force phasing out PFAS-containing foams in 2004, high levels of PFAS remain present in the environment around many defence sites, an Australian parliament inquiry into the matter said last year.

The inquiry heard evidence from an Aboriginal community living near a navy base in New South Wales state, who bathed in and gathered food near rivers contaminated by firefighting foam. The community feared the water was the cause of ill-health.

Another “PFAS hotspot” was found by water authority testing in the state’s Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, close to an air force base, in 2024.

As concern over health impacts grew in communities, the military spent about AU$1.3 billion treating 13 billion litres of water and supplying alternative sources to 785 properties, including bottled drinking water and rainwater tanks.

The Australian government settled a AU$133 million class action with residents from seven communities in 2023.