3M has reached a $10 billion settlement over “ceaselessly chemical substances” in ingesting water. NPR’s Debbie Elliott talks with Scott Summy, an lawyer for water techniques that sued the chemical maker.
DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:
3M has reached a settlement over what have been known as ceaselessly chemical substances. 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 substances which have contaminated lots of the nation’s public ingesting water techniques, partially due to issues like firefighting foam.
SCOTT SUMMY: They bought it to airports and hearth coaching amenities throughout the nation, they usually instructed them that they wanted to be coaching with it. They usually did. They usually educated with it month-to-month. They might set one thing deliberately on hearth after which use the froth to place it out. And since these chemical substances actually reside ceaselessly and don’t break down, these compounds get into the bottom and into the groundwater.
ELLIOTT: Scott Summy is without doubt one of the attorneys representing the water techniques that sued 3M and different producers. I requested him how his shoppers have reacted to this settlement.
SUMMY: So the water techniques that I symbolize are positioned throughout the nation. They serve public ingesting water. However sadly, like many public water techniques 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 techniques have to put in costly water therapy with a view to take away the chemical substances earlier than the water is served to the general public. So upon listening to about this settlement, clearly the shoppers are very glad 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 injury 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 techniques 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 may have them pay as much as 12.5 billion. And so it is a enormous chunk. It is clearly a compromise. However for our shoppers, it is – you realize, it is higher than the choice of attempting to chase them for the subsequent 10 years in a courtroom.
ELLIOTT: You already know, is there a tradeoff there, although? Scientists are discovering these chemical substances in all places now – in meals, in wildlife, in people. A trial would have introduced form of better consciousness to the issue.
SUMMY: Sure, however trials are costly. They’re dangerous. And, you realize, for my shoppers – they are not – you realize, the cities and cities throughout America – they are not within the enterprise of litigating. They’re within the enterprise of operating their cities and serving water. They usually actually simply wished to discover a technique 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 instances have been pending, there are various, many, many instances left. There are millions of private damage instances. There are lawyer normal fits. There are property injury instances. 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 gained a $10 billion settlement settlement from 3M over ingesting water contamination involving the chemical substances PFAS.
SUMMY: Thanks for having me.
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