3M Agrees to $7.35 Billion Settlement Over PFAS Forever Chemical Personal Injury Claims

3M has agreed to pay $7.35 billion to resolve personal injury claims brought by more than 100,000 plaintiffs who say they suffered health harms from the company’s PFAS-containing firefighting foam, the multinational manufacturer announced Tuesday, The New Lede reported.

The agreement would settle an estimated 115,000 to 120,000 claims pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, covering roughly 99% of current personal injury claims related to aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, according to a statement from 3M. The foam, widely used at airports and military bases for firefighting training, contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—PFAS, or “forever chemicals”—that persist in the environment and have been linked to cancers, high cholesterol, decreased immune response to vaccines, liver damage, thyroid problems, and reproductive issues.

$7.35 Billion PFAS Injury Settlement – What to Know

“A Significant Milestone” for the Company

William Brown, 3M’s chairman and CEO, framed the deal as a way to put a major legal overhang behind the company. “This is a significant milestone for 3M,” Brown said in a statement, adding that it “substantially reduces litigation uncertainty.” He said the company would continue its focus on “transforming the enterprise, strengthening operating rigor and delivering predictable, long-term performance.” The company emphasized that the agreement is not an admission of liability and noted it has largely phased out the PFAS compounds at issue.

Plaintiffs’ Attorneys Call It Accountability

Attorneys for the plaintiffs described the outcome as a landmark result for people who have waited years for answers. Scott Summy, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs at Baron & Budd, said the settlement was “a landmark achievement in environmental litigation,” recognizing that the consequences of PFAS contamination extend beyond financial damages to affect “the health, well-being, and lives of communities and individuals.”

3M Agrees to $7.35 Billion Settlement Over PFAS Forever Chemical Personal Injury Claims — Photo: thehill.com

“For the thousands of victims who have sought answers and accountability for nearly a decade, 3M’s $7.35 billion settlement is welcome news,” Motley Rice attorneys Fred Thompson and David Hoyle said in a written statement, according to The Hill.

Hoyle added that the money would help victims “who are in urgent need of support to cover the mounting medical bills and other costs frequently associated with toxic PFAS exposure.”

How the $7.35 Billion Will Be Paid

MarketBeat reported that the settlement carries a total nominal value of $7.35 billion to be paid over nine years, with 3M expecting to record a pre-tax charge of $5.8 billion representing the present value of those future payments. The charge will be treated as a special item and excluded from non-GAAP results, and management said it does not change the company’s full-year 2026 guidance.

3M agrees to settle personal injury claims

Payments begin with $50 million in 2026, followed by no payment in 2027. Roughly $6.27 billion is scheduled to be paid annually from 2028 through 2033 once participation thresholds are met, with about 20% of the total scheduled for 2033 and 2034. The deal further provides for two $125 million installments in 2029 and 2030 should participation hit higher thresholds, two possible payments reaching up to $50 million apiece in 2031 and 2032 depending on the future docket, plus a $680 million reserve fund that will not be completely funded until 2034. If participation falls below required levels, 3M has the right to withdraw, though the company does not expect that outcome.

During a court-ordered vetting process, about 40,000 claims were dismissed without prejudice, according to Chief Legal Affairs Officer Kevin Rhodes, leaving the 115,000 to 120,000 eligible plaintiffs. Participating plaintiffs will provide broad releases of their claims against 3M.

3M Announces $7.35B PFAS Settlement Over Nine Years | Forever Desk

One Piece of a Larger PFAS Puzzle

This settlement comes three years after 3M agreed to a $10.3 billion settlement with U.S. drinking water providers over PFAS contamination claims, and follows a separate settlement with the State of New Jersey approved by a court earlier this year. According to Brown, the deal covers one of three major active fronts in 3M’s PFAS litigation docket, in addition to the public water supplier claims and state attorneys general cases.

The litigation has been consolidated in multidistrict litigation overseen by the federal court in South Carolina (MDL-2873). Within about a year, the settlement administrator is expected to calculate participation rates, determining how the staged payments will unfold through 2034.

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