MELBOURNE, Australia — The Australian government has initiated a historic multi-billion dollar lawsuit against American manufacturing giant 3M, seeking damages for widespread environmental pollution caused by toxic firefighting foams used across nearly 30 military sites.
Announced on Thursday, the legal action demands upwards of 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.4 billion USD). The lawsuit represents the largest compensation claim ever pursued by the Australian government. It centers on contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—man-made compounds widely labeled as "forever chemicals" due to their inability to degrade naturally in the environment.
The lawsuit, filed in the Federal Court of Australia, targets both the Minnesota-based 3M Company and its local subsidiary, 3M Australia, for their role in supplying the specialized foams to 28 defense installations.
In response, 3M vowed to vigorously contest the allegations, shifting the blame back onto the Australian military.
"3M has never manufactured PFAS in Australia and ceased sales of the products at issue in Australia around two decades ago," the company stated. "Despite this, the (Australian) Department of Defense continued to use PFAS-containing firefighting foams for nearly two decades longer."
First engineered in the 1950s, PFAS compounds became staples in both consumer goods and heavy industry for their exceptional ability to repel heat, water, oil, and grease. In military contexts, PFAS-heavy foams were considered highly effective at suppressing volatile aviation fuel fires. However, the environmental fallout has grown increasingly evident over the years. In 2018, defense officials warned residents living near the Richmond Air Base outside Sydney to severely limit their intake of local eggs and fish after severe PFAS concentrations were detected in the regional groundwater.
Australian Attorney-General Michelle Rowland condemned the U.S. conglomerate on Thursday, alleging that 3M deliberately hid the profound ecological hazards associated with the product.
"The Commonwealth is seeking more than AU$2 billion ($1.4 billion) in damages to recover significant past and future expenses incurred in investigating and managing contamination resulting from the historic storage and use of this foam," Rowland announced during a press conference.
According to Assistant Defense Minister Peter Khalil, the government has already poured AU$1.3 billion ($920 million USD) into emergency mitigation efforts. Environmental cleanup crews have already excavated and treated roughly 200,000 metric tons of polluted soil and filtered more than 13 billion liters (3.4 billion gallons) of contaminated water.
"We are prepared to take on powerful corporations when Australians and Australian communities have been impacted," Khalil added.
