3M Co has settled a lawsuit with Minnesota's Attorney General Lori Swanson for between US$500 million ($682m) and US$1 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. The state had sought US$5b for natural resources damage and human health problems it said were linked to a chemical formerly used in Scotchgard.
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity as the terms were not yet announced, said money will be allocated for various projects to deal with remediation. The jury trial, scheduled to run at least four weeks, came to an abrupt halt just as it was scheduled to begin.
What began in 2010 as a lawsuit over fish and waterways in Minnesota had turned into a battle over whether 3M had contributed to health problems in its home state. In November, Minnesota said it had found cancer and premature births outside Minneapolis and would seek punitive damages. 3M and a state study released on the eve of trial have said there is no health problem.
Controversy is growing over the main chemicals involved, PFOS and PFOA, as well as the entire class of perfluorinated compounds - or PFCs - which are still used in stainproof and waterproof treatments and food packaging. The situation tested a state's ability to force a major employer to pay for pollution as the US relaxes environmental rules. It also shows how liability can mushroom long after companies stop making chemicals like PFCs that don't degrade and accumulate in the food chain.
3M has also been sued by people, towns and water districts nationwide, with claims the chemicals got into drinking water from sites like Air Force bases where they were used in firefighting foams, and in one case, a tannery where they were used to treat leather.