3M knew firefighting foams were toxic for decades, documents reveal

Revelations show 3M misled the public about PFAS chemicals’ dangers, contributing to global contamination.

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Image Credit: Environmental Working Group

Quick summary

• 3M marketed its firefighting foams as safe and biodegradable for decades, despite knowing they contained toxic PFAS chemicals that persist in the environment.

• Evidence from as early as 1949 showed PFAS did not degrade, yet 3M continued promoting its products as environmentally neutral until the 1990s.

• PFAS contamination, linked to thyroid disease, cancer, and other health issues, is now found in water, soil, animals, and human blood worldwide.

• Misleading claims led to widespread environmental damage, including disposal of PFAS in rivers and agricultural fields, described as “disastrous” by experts.

• 3M paid $10 billion in settlements for PFAS contamination but has not admitted liability and plans to cease PFAS production by 2025.

• PFOS firefighting foams were banned in the UK in 2011, but PFOA foams will not be fully restricted until 2025, and other PFAS compounds remain in use.

• Experts warn that PFAS pollution represents a global public health crisis with no quick fixes due to the chemicals’ extreme persistence.

For decades, 3M marketed its firefighting foams as safe and biodegradable, despite possessing evidence that they contained harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These “forever chemicals,” named for their extreme persistence in the environment, are linked to serious health issues and global environmental contamination. Newly uncovered documents, reported by The Guardian and Watershed Investigations, reveal that 3M continued to promote these products as harmless while knowing the risks as early as the 1940s.

PFAS compounds, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), were key ingredients in 3M’s firefighting foams between the 1960s and 2003. These substances have been tied to thyroid disease, high cholesterol, hormonal issues, fertility problems, and certain cancers. Scientists describe PFAS pollution as “one of the greatest threats facing mankind,” with contamination now detected in water, soil, animals, and human bloodstreams worldwide.

Evidence of PFAS’s inability to biodegrade appeared as early as 1949, when Scientific American reported that fluorocarbons, which include PFAS, “do not burn, corrode, mold or decay. Neither rodents nor insects nor fungi can find any nourishment in them.” By 1964, 3M scientist HG Bryce stated that fluorocarbon portions of substances were “physiologically inert,” meaning they did not degrade naturally.

In 1983, 3M conducted lab tests confirming PFAS’s resistance to biodegradation in aquatic environments. A company document from that year noted that biodegradation “cannot be depended on to occur in an aquatic environment.” Despite this growing evidence, 3M continued to market its firefighting foams as environmentally safe.

From 1979 to the early 1990s, 3M brochures claimed their firefighting foams were “environmentally neutral,” “biodegradable, low in toxicity, and… can be treated in biological treatment systems.” These claims encouraged widespread disposal practices, including releasing foam effluent into rivers and applying sludge from wastewater treatment plants to agricultural fields.

Professor Ian Cousins, a PFAS expert at Stockholm University, described the consequences of these practices as “disastrous.” He explained, “The PFAS went straight through the wastewater treatment process, either ending up in the effluent from the wastewater treatment plant or in the sludge. The effluent was discharged into rivers and the sludge would often be spread on agricultural land.”

The misleading information provided by 3M resulted in the widespread misuse of PFAS-laden foams, contributing to contamination hot spots near airports, military sites, and fire training facilities. The environmental damage has led to significant legal and financial consequences for 3M.

• In 2018, 3M paid $890 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Minnesota Attorney General over PFAS pollution.

• In 2023, the company agreed to pay over $10 billion in settlements related to public drinking water contamination, though it did not admit liability.

Uncovered documents also reveal that 3M knew about PFAS’s toxicity decades ago. Minutes from a 1978 company meeting state that PFOA and PFOS “should be regarded as toxic although the degree of toxicity was left undefined.” These chemicals, used extensively in firefighting foams, have now been linked to contamination of drinking water sources and public health crises worldwide.

While 3M announced in 2000 that it would phase out certain PFAS compounds, including PFOS and PFOA, its products had already caused widespread contamination. PFOS-laden foams were banned in the UK in 2011, but foams containing PFOA will not be fully phased out until July 2025. Other PFAS compounds remain in use.

A UK government spokesperson acknowledged the challenge of addressing PFAS contamination: “PFAS chemicals have been used extensively for over 70 years and their persistence once in the environment unfortunately means there are no quick fixes. We have already begun investigating whether to restrict PFAS in firefighting foams and will set out more detail in due course.”

3M has pledged to cease all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025 and claims to be engaging in site remediation and water treatment efforts. A company spokesperson stated, “AFFF was developed in the 1960s to be used by military service members and other first responders facing potentially high hazard, life-threatening challenges. As the science and technology of PFAS, and societal and regulatory expectations have evolved, so has how we manage PFAS.”

The contamination caused by PFAS firefighting foams is not easily remedied. Harvard environmental chemist Elsie Sunderland emphasized the scale of the problem: “When you have a contaminated site, you can clean it up. When you ubiquitously introduce a toxicant at a global scale, so that it’s detectable in everyone… we’re reducing public health on an incredibly large scale.”

The revelations about 3M’s decades-long deception and the global consequences of PFAS contamination highlight the urgent need for corporate accountability and stronger environmental regulations. While 3M’s phased discontinuation of PFAS production is a step forward, the persistence of these chemicals ensures their impact will be felt for generations to come. Governments and industry leaders must act swiftly to prevent further harm and address the legacy of contamination caused by these “forever chemicals.”

To see what states are banning its use of firefighting foam, follow Clean Water Action.

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