3M agrees to pay up to $7.35 billion in PFAS water contamination settlement involving 120,000 people

3M has agreed to commit up to $7.35 billion over nine years to resolve personal injury claims linked to PFAS contamination, in what is being described as a landmark settlement in the United States. The agreement, announced in a 3M press release and reported by the Associated Press, could provide compensation to as many as 120,000 people who say exposure to contaminated water harmed their health.

The settlement does not admit wrongdoing by 3M. Instead, it establishes a structured framework for resolving claims from individuals who allege that PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” contributed to serious health conditions after exposure through contaminated drinking water or other sources.

Read more about it here:What the settlement coversThe agreement is designed to address individual personal injury claims rather than the broader public-water-system contamination cases that have already resulted in separate settlements.