3M To Pay $98 Mln To Settle Tennessee River Contamination Lawsuit

(RTTNews) - Industrial conglomerate 3M Co. said it reached a settlement in the lawsuit that it contaminated the Tennessee river with toxic chemicals. The company agreed to pay around $98.4 million in settlement claims.

The lawsuit was filed by an environmental group Tennessee Riverkeeper and a separate class action was also filed by residents of Morgan County in Alabama. The company also arrived at a private settlement with Morgan County, the city of Decatur, where the company's local facility is set up and also with Decatur's utility provider.

All the three settlement agreements revolve around the company's manufacturing and disposal of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, at the Decatur industrial site in Morgan County.

The 3M settlements follow in the footsteps of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency statement that it would be setting limits on PFAS, which can cause diseases like kidney cancer.

PFAS are known as "forever chemicals" because they do not break down easily. These chemicals are being used household products such as non-stick cookware since ages.

3M said that it did not agree with the charges of pollution and the settlement agreements need to be submitted for final approval.