3M has reached a $10 billion settlement over “endlessly chemical compounds” in ingesting water. NPR’s Debbie Elliott talks with Scott Summy, an lawyer for water methods that sued the chemical maker.
DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:
3M has reached a settlement over what have been referred to as endlessly chemical compounds. The chemical producer has agreed to pay not less than $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over doubtlessly dangerous compounds that do not degrade simply. 3M is a number one maker of PFAS – chemical compounds which have contaminated lots of the nation’s public ingesting water methods, partly due to issues like firefighting foam.
SCOTT SUMMY: They bought it to airports and hearth coaching amenities throughout the nation, and so they advised them that they wanted to be coaching with it. They usually did. They usually skilled with it month-to-month. They’d set one thing deliberately on hearth after which use the froth to place it out. And since these chemical compounds actually stay endlessly and don’t break down, these compounds get into the bottom and into the groundwater.
ELLIOTT: Scott Summy is likely one of the attorneys representing the water methods that sued 3M and different producers. I requested him how his shoppers have reacted to this settlement.
SUMMY: So the water methods that I signify are positioned throughout the nation. They serve public ingesting water. However sadly, like many public water methods throughout the nation, they’re going through PFAS within the ingesting water. They usually’ve been very involved about it as a result of the EPA has put out proposed ingesting water requirements that may take impact in a number of years. And the best way to adjust to them is these water methods have to put in costly water therapy to be able to take away the chemical compounds earlier than the water is served to the general public. So upon listening to about this settlement, clearly the shoppers are very comfortable as a result of they have been very involved about how they’ll fund this therapy. And this settlement being the most important ingesting water settlement in American historical past will go a great distance in serving to them fund that therapy.
ELLIOTT: So PFAS have been linked to well being issues starting from liver harm to some cancers. Do you assume this settlement goes far sufficient? Is it going to be sufficient cash to repair the issue?
SUMMY: Clearly, to take away PFAS from public water methods throughout the nation is an enormously costly endeavor. Sadly for 3M, they’re the most important market participant amongst all of the producers. However the issue is, is that their market cap is just about 55 billion and this settlement could have them pay as much as 12.5 billion. And so it is a large chunk. It is clearly a compromise. However for our shoppers, it is – you already know, it is higher than the choice of attempting to chase them for the following 10 years in a courtroom.
ELLIOTT: You already know, is there a tradeoff there, although? Scientists are discovering these chemical compounds in all places now – in meals, in wildlife, in people. A trial would have introduced type of better consciousness to the issue.
SUMMY: Sure, however trials are costly. They’re dangerous. And, you already know, for my shoppers – they don’t seem to be – you already know, the cities and cities throughout America – they don’t seem to be within the enterprise of litigating. They’re within the enterprise of working their cities and serving water. They usually actually simply wished to discover a option to get help in getting them therapy for his or her ingesting water. Now, do not forget, within the multidistrict litigation the place all these circumstances had been pending, there are numerous, many, many circumstances left. There are millions of private damage circumstances. There are lawyer basic fits. There are property harm circumstances. So there very properly could also be trials coming.
ELLIOTT: So that is only the start.
SUMMY: That is the start.
ELLIOTT: Legal professional Scott Summy. His shoppers received a $10 billion settlement settlement from 3M over ingesting water contamination involving the chemical compounds PFAS.
SUMMY: Thanks for having me.
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