3M Co. announced on June 22 that it will pay at least $10.3 billion to settle lawsuits over contamination of many U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially harmful compounds used in firefighting foam and a host of consumer products. The deal would compensate water providers for pollution with per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) and is subject to court approval. The compounds have been detected at varying levels in drinking water around the nation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed in March strict limits on two common types, PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFOS (per-fluorooctane sulfonic acid), and said it wanted to regulate four others. The agreement would settle a case that was scheduled for trial earlier in June involving a claim by Stuart, Florida, one of about 300 communities that have filed similar suits against companies that produced firefighting foam or the PFAS it contained.
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