Australia sues 3M for $1.4 billion over PFAS 'forever chemicals' contamination

By Christine Chen | Reuters | May 27, 2026

Read the full article by Christine Chen (Reuters)

"The Australian government said on Thursday it had launched legal ‌action against 3M (MMM.N), opens new tab over contamination from firefighting foam supplied by the U.S. company that contained PFAS, or "forever chemicals", seeking more than A$2 billion ($1.43 billion) in damages.

The claim against the Minnesota-based chemicals maker and its local unit is the largest ever brought by Australia, reflecting the past and future environmental, economic and cultural costs of the contamination, the government said.

"Make no mistake, this legal action against 3M is significant," Attorney-General Michelle Rowland told reporters.

"The ⁠Commonwealth is seeking more than A$2 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."