The 3M chemical manufacturer’s building in a suburb of Sydney on May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File)

License this photo

By REBECCA BOONE

Updated 4:06 PM EST, November 4, 2026

Share

Facebook

Copy Link copied

Print

Email

X

LinkedIn

Bluesky

Flipboard

Pinterest

Reddit

Chemical manufacturer 3M will pay up to $7.35 billion to settle lawsuits by people who say they were sickened by groundwater contamination from compounds used in firefighting foam and other consumer products.

The St. Paul, Minnesota-based company announced the settlement Tuesday. It will pay the money over nine years to as many as 120,000 people who say they were harmed by exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS.…