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Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
Israeli media: Sirens blare in Arava in South, near Ramon Airport.
Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

3M gives in to $10.3bln settlement over water contamination lawsuit

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 23 Jun 2023 14:37
3 Min Read

The US firm was due to appear before a judge on Monday but was granted a delay to try and reach a settlement with plaintiffs.

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  • 3M gives in to $10.3bln settlement over water contamination lawsuit
    The exterior of the Dutch head office of international technology company 3M in Delft, Netherlands. (AFP)

American multinational conglomerate 3M settled a $10.3 billion mass lawsuit filed by US cities and towns impacted by contaminated water due to chemicals released from a production facility belonging to the company.

The "forever chemicals" settlement in the per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) case, that polluted the region's drinking water, will be paid over 13 years.

Pollutants known as "forever chemicals," do not degrade in the environment, accumulate in the body, and may be toxic.

Read more: Firm discharges 800kg/year of ‘forever chemical' into Lancashire river

3M did not admit liability in the case that is yet to be approved by the country but pledged to stop using "forever chemicals" by the end of 2025 after several probes and thousands of lawsuits targeted the firm, including that from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

"If the agreement is not approved by the court or certain agreed terms are not fulfilled, 3M is prepared to continue to defend itself in the litigation," the company said in a statement.

The firm added that it will provide "funding for public water suppliers (PWS) nationwide that have detected PFAS in drinking water, as well as for eligible PWS that may detect PFAS at any level in the future."

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The company was due to face trial next Monday regarding the lawsuit, but a judge approved a request to delay as disputing parties try to settle.

Mike Roman, Chairman and CEO of 3M, called the agreement "an important step forward" that puts forward the firm's commitment to "exit all PFAS manufacturing."

Earlier this month, chemical producers Chemours, DuPont, and Corteva settled a 1.19 billion dollar lawsuit over contamination claims across the United States.

Read more: Radioactive Substances and Pesticides Found in US Tap Water

3M's transatlantic PFAS

In February, a study conducted across the EU and the UK and published by The Guardian revealed that "forever chemicals" have been found in high concentrations at thousands of sites across the researched geography.

The map shows that Belgium has the highest levels of pollution, with PFAS concentrations in groundwater reaching 73m ng/l near 3M's manufacturing site in Zwijndrecht, Flanders.

Residents within 15 kilometers of the site have been advised not to eat any eggs laid in their gardens and to avoid eating homegrown vegetables, the report said. Meanwhile, 70,000 people living within a 5-kilometer radius of the plant have been offered a PFAS blood test.

3M said it will clean up the site and has "signed an agreement with the Flemish region... for an investment of €571 million" (£503 million). It has also announced plans to exit PFAS manufacturing "and work to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025".

According to Rita Loch-Caruso, a toxicology professor at the University of Michigan, drinking water limits for PFAS are continuing to be reduced in response to growing evidence about their health effects. "We're finding health effects at increasingly low concentrations - in the single digits," she explained.

  • United States
  • 3M
  • forever chemicals
  • US
  • PFAS contamination

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