Australia sues 3M for $1.4 billion over contamination at defense bases

Australia filed suit in Federal Court against 3M Company and its Australian subsidiary on Thursday over contamination at 28 defense bases. The government is seeking more than 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion) in damages to cover the cost of investigating and managing environmental damage caused by firefighting foam containing PFAS.

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Known as "forever chemicals," they do not break down naturally in the environment. Since the 1950s, these substances have appeared in household and industrial products that resist heat, stains, grease, and water. The firefighting foam was effective against fuel fires but left lasting contamination at military sites.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland accused 3M of withholding information about environmental risks posed by the foam. Australia's Defense Department has already spent 1.3 billion Australian dollars ($920 million) managing the contamination. The department removed 200,000 metric tons of contaminated soil from bases and treated 13 billion liters of contaminated water, according to Assistant Defense Minister Peter Khalil.

In 2018, the Australian Defense Department warned residents near Richmond Air Base outside Sydney to reduce their consumption of locally produced fish and eggs after PFAS were detected in nearby groundwater. "This is the most significant legal action undertaken by Commonwealth and Defence in living memory," Khalil told Reuters.

3M said it would defend against the claim. "3M has never manufactured PFAS in Australia and ceased sales of the products at issue in Australia around two decades ago," the company stated. "Despite this, the (Australian) Department of Defense continued to use PFAS-containing firefighting foams for nearly two decades longer." PFAS are increasingly restricted worldwide because of their adverse effects on human health.