3M to pay New Jersey up to $450M in landmark 'forever chemical' settlement

[Eugene]

Source: The Hill

3M will pay the state of New Jersey up to $450 million over the next 25 years, resolving claims regarding widespread contamination from “forever chemicals.”

State Attorney General Matthew Platkin and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Shawn LaTourette announced the agreement on Tuesday, describing the terms as “the largest statewide PFAS settlement in New Jersey history.”

PFAS is the acronym for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, an umbrella group of about 15,000 synthetic compounds known for their ability to persist nearly “forever” in the environment, and for years in the human body. These cancer-linked compounds are present in a wide array of household items, such as nonstick pans, waterproof apparel cosmetics and stain-resistant fabric, as well as in certain firefighting foams.

“The makers of PFAS forever chemicals knew how poisonous these substances were, yet they produced and thoughtlessly released them into New Jersey’s environment anyway,” LaTourette said in a statement.

-snip-

by Sharon Udasin - 05/13/25 5:45 PM ET


Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/equilibrium-sustainability/5298734-3m-new-jersey-450m-forever-chemicals-settlement-pfas/

[JustAnotherGen]

1. And the individual Municipalities

Our Borough is getting a huge chunk of change to fix their mess. I live two miles away from a 3M facility.

[BigmanPigman]

2. Does this have anything to do with the Ziploc Bag court case

or are they 2 separate issues?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3458114

[Eugene]

3. two different companies, two different pollutants

3M (Scotchgard, Dyneon, etc.) - PFAS forever chemicals uses in non-stick coatings among other things

S.C. Johnson (Ziploc bags) - microplastics as a breakdown product

[BigmanPigman]

4. Is 3M going to appeal?

[Eugene]

5. No, it's a settlement. 3M has agreed to pay.

3M is also reformulating it's products to phase out PFAS, a process they expect to complete next year. Scotchgard, for example, is already reformulated, but 3M has not disclosed what new chemicals it uses.