Australia has launched legal action against U.S. chemicals giant 3M, seeking more than $1.4 billion over contamination linked to firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals, widely known as “forever chemicals”.
The federal government said the lawsuit, filed against 3M and its Australian subsidiary, is the largest claim ever brought by the country. Officials argue the contamination has caused lasting environmental, financial and social harm.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland described the case as a major step for the government.
“Make no mistake, this legal action against 3M is significant,” she told reporters on Thursday.
“The Commonwealth is seeking more than $1.4 billion in damages to recover significant past and future expenses incurred in investigating and managing contamination resulting from the historical storage and use of this foam.”
PFAS chemicals were used for decades in firefighting foams because they resist heat and water. Australia’s Defence Department used the products at 28 military sites across the country.
The government claims 3M assured authorities the foam was safe to dispose of, biodegradable and non-toxic. However, officials allege the company failed to disclose its own testing, which pointed to serious environmental risks.
3M rejected the allegations and said it would defend itself in court.
In a statement, the company said it had never produced PFAS in Australia and had stopped selling the products there around 20 years ago.
“Despite this, the Department of Defence continued to use PFAS-containing firefighting foams for nearly two decades longer,” the company said.
PFAS chemicals do not break down naturally, which is why they are often referred to as “forever chemicals”. Scientists and health experts have raised concerns over their build-up in soil, waterways and the human body.
Studies have linked exposure to PFAS to several health problems, including liver damage, lower birth weights and certain cancers.
Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil said the government had already spent around $924 million responding to the contamination. That figure includes $290 million paid in settlements to communities affected by pollution near defence sites.
Authorities have also removed or treated more than 200,000 tonnes of contaminated soil and cleaned more than 13 billion litres of water.
“This is the most significant legal action undertaken by Commonwealth and Defence in living memory,” Khalil said.
“To put it plainly, we are taking on 3M on behalf of the Australian people and the Australians that are affected.”
The lawsuit adds to mounting legal pressure on 3M over PFAS pollution around the world. In 2023, the company agreed to pay at least $10.3 billion to settle claims from U.S. public water systems over contaminated drinking water.
Australia has launched legal action against U.S. chemicals giant 3M, seeking more than $1.4 billion over contamination linked to firefighting foam co...
The trial of a 21-year-old accused of planning an Islamist attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna entered its final day on Thursday (28 May), with...
The United States launched fresh strikes on Iranian drone targets near Bandar Abbas after intercepting attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz, raisin...
The Islamic Revolution’s Guards Corps of Iran (IRGC) said it carried out a retaliatory attack on a U.S. airbase in the early hours of Thursday. The ...
U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ahead of Armenia’s parliamentary elections on 7 June, back...
A second group of Australian women and children linked to the Islamic State group has departed a refugee camp in north-east Syria and may return to Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.
Australian activists released from Israeli custody after being detained on a flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza have claimed they were subject to abuse and beatings, which left some hospitalised. Israel’s prison service denies the allegations.
Australian citizens evacuated from a Dutch-flagged cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak have returned home after two weeks overseas. The passengers will now undergo quarantine and further testing in Western Australia.
Just one week after a similar move by Australia, Greece announced that it will ban access to social media for children under the age of 15 from January 1, 2027, as governments around the world weigh tougher rules amid growing concerns over mental health, safety and screen addiction.
Chinese investigators have uncovered hidden tunnels, missing worker trackers and fake underground walls during an initial investigation into the country’s deadliest mining disaster in more than 15 years.
Dozens of people were killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Tuesday, Lebanese officials said, straining a fragile ceasefire agreed between the countries in April. The attacks came as Iran accused the U.S. of violating a separate ceasefire with strikes near the Strait of Hormuz.
The new AnewZ documentary, TARGET: Yerevan, builds its explosive case on exclusive, secret recordings originally published by Minval Politika.
The visit by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Armenia marks one of the clearest signs yet of Washington’s growing interest in the South Caucasus.
As climate pressures and urbanisation accelerate worldwide, governments are increasingly investing in smart cities and villages to build more sustainable and resilient communities. Across the world, digital technologies are reshaping how cities and rural areas are planned and managed.
The World Health Organisation has warned that the risk of a widening Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has escalated to “very high” at national level.
A luxury polar expedition vessel linked to a hantavirus outbreak has arrived in Rotterdam, where health authorities have placed the final 27 people on board into quarantine and have begun containment measures.
Medical teams are being rushed to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a fast-moving Ebola outbreak that has already caused dozens of suspected deaths and raised fears of wider regional spread.
The World Health Organisation’s designation of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is a stark reminder that Ebola remains a persistent global health threat rather than a disease of the past.
The risk from hantavirus to the general public remains very low, and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has more than 100 staff members actively working on the outbreak, a governmental health official said on Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment