Chemical companies settle for billions in water contamination and PFAS lawsuits.

DuPont and related companies will pay nearly $1.2bn to settle liability claims brought by public water systems serving the vast majority of the US population. The settlement excludes personal injury claims due to alleged exposure to PFAS, as well as claims by state attorneys general about PFAS contamination of natural resources. 3M is reportedly negotiating a $10bn payout that would resolve claims and avoid a trial over PFAS contamination. The Stuart case, like the thousands of others pending, alleges that 3M knew by the 1970s that PFOA and PFOS could endanger human health and the environment, but decided to hide the knowledge from the public and regulators, and continued to manufacture the chemicals.