The company, based in the state capital St Paul for more than 115 years, said it reached an agreement with local authorities to end a lawsuit over "certain PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals) present in the environment."
These chemical compounds were used, among other things, for the production of a carpet cleaner — and were sold to DuPont USA for the manufacture of products containing Teflon.
The money paid by 3M will go toward a fund that finances water sustainability projects in the area.
"While we do not believe there is a PFC-related public health issue, 3M will work with the state on these important projects," said 3M chief technology officer John Banovetz, who also serves as senior vice president of research and development.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton called the settlement an "enormously important advance to protect the health of over 67,000 Minnesotans in our East Metro area, who deserve clean and safe drinking water."
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3M is paying $850 million to end a years-long lawsuit claiming it contaminated water in its home state of Minnesota…. 3M is paying $850 million to end a years-long lawsuit claiming it contaminated water in its home state of Minnesota.
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson, who filed the case against 3M in 2010, announced the settlement on Tuesday.
Her office said in a statement that the money would "be used to finance projects which involve drinking water and the water sustainability."
The case centered on 3M’s production of perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, which were made at plants in Minnesota starting in the 1950s.
The chemicals, once used to make stain protector Scotchgard, among other products, polluted ground and surface water in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, according to the state.
The agency said that while PFCs pose environmental and health risks, they had not caused higher rates of cancer and premature births.
3M has repeatedly said it does not think PFCs has caused health issues in Minnesota.
"We do not believe there is a PFC-related public health issue in Minnesota and look forward to discussing the [Minnesota Department of Health] report with the State during trial," the company said in a statement to the Star Tribune.
3M is a manufacturing conglomerate that makes products like Scotch tape, Post-it notes and ACE bandages.
Article Comments

"That’s how we do water here."
Rapp lives in the east Twin Cities metro where the groundwater was contaminated by chemicals produced for decades by 3M.
The state alleges that 3M knew decades ago about risks linked to its chemicals that wound up in the groundwater in the east metro.
For decades, 3M legally disposed of waste containing PFCs in landfills in the east metro.
Are PFCs toxic at the levels found in the east metro?
The state’s lawsuit says 3M knew from its own studies that PFCs were potentially toxic, but didn’t report those findings to federal regulators or scientists.
That argument got a boost days before the trial was scheduled to start from the Minnesota Department of Health.
The department released new reports showing it did not find unusually high rates of cancer or adverse birth outcomes in the east metro.
In Minnesota, the Department of Health last year set health advisory limits much more stringent than those of the EPA.
When Joby Randrup and his wife, Amy, bought their Cottage Grove home 13 years ago when expecting their first child, they knew nothing about the water situation.

WESTFIELD, Mass.
(AP) — A Massachusetts city is suing the makers of firefighting foam blamed for water contamination.
Westfield’s Democratic Mayor Brian Sullivan announced the federal lawsuit against the 3M Co., Chemguard Inc. and Tyco Fire Protection Products on Thursday.
The city argues the manufacturers knew or should’ve known the foam chemicals are "persistent when released into the environment and harmful."
The lawsuit doesn’t specify how much in damages Westfield seeks, but city solicitor Sue Phillips tells the Westfield News it’s "looking to be made whole."
Westfield is installing filters to treat the contamination.
Two public wells have been closed since 2015.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.
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This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

BENGALURU: The National Human Rights Commission has taken up a suo motu case over the death of five people due acute gastroenteritis at Maidolalu village in Bhadravati taluk of Shivamogga district.
It has issued a notice to the Karnataka Chief Secretary ordering the state to submit a detailed report on the matter within four weeks.
Thirty five others were also hospitalised in the case.
The commission also said this is a serious issue of violation of the right to life and health of the victims as drinking water is a basic amenity and the state is bound to ensure its uncontaminated supply.
Already, District Health Officer Dr Hanumanthappa has confirmed with Express that seven out of 10 samples taken from one area in the village turned out to be positive for gastroenteritis infection.
There is significant presence of faecal matter in the contaminated water that was supplied to the villagers.
DC M Lokesh said the families of the victims will be given `2 lakh as compensation.

Amritsar Hepatitis cases have surfaced due to water contaminationHepatitis cases have surfaced due to it in affected areas We will ask MC officials to get the water from the area tested and take immediate measures if sewage is found in drinking water.
Dr Madan Mohan, District Epidemiologist Amritsar, February 15 A team of health officials, led by District Epidemiologist Dr Madan Mohan, visited Nehru Colony, Friends Avenue and other nearby areas as residents had been complaining regarding the outbreak of hepatitis due to contaminated water supply.
Dr Madan Mohan said, "The visit was paid after receiving complaints from residents.
We have not come across any new case of hepatitis but we have asked residents to take precautions.
Medicines for water purification have also been distributed.” Residents say that the potable water is getting mixed with sewage due to which the disease is being spread.
"We have brought the issue to the notice of MC officials but to no avail," they said.
Dr Madan Mohan said they would also ask MC officials to get the water from the area tested and take immediate measures if sewage is found in drinking water.
The epidemiologist said that in case of any problem, residents should visit the nearest government health facility.
“We have not found any case related to the chronic problem here but as the residents are apprehensive, we will keep a close watch,” he added.

A fire hall in Blades filled up with at least 100 residents concerned about their health after learning their drinking water is contaminated.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Public Health and the Town of Blades held the meeting after the town’s three municipal wells tested positive for perfluorinated compounds above the human health advisory level.
Residents with private wells can request their systems be tested.
Once residents have safe drinking water, the state will research potential sources, and take corrective measures.
But we reacted immediately because it was a concern and we wanted to address it and get people back to living their lives the way they were a week ago.” Despite those actions, residents attending the meeting expressed their anxiety about the fact the state does not yet know how long the water has been contaminated.
It was the first time the wells have been tested for this chemical, because it’s currently de-regulated by the U.S.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requested sampling in Blades because of the town’s proximity to potential sources of PFCs.
While the chemical is currently de-regulated, public health experts are continuing to learn more about its potential risks.
“Sometimes as new chemicals are put into production we may not know everything about how they impact the environment or our health, which is why studies like this are continuing so we learn more about it, and that’s why we’re seeing some of the levels across the country come down, and you’re seeing more responses like this where we’re a little more concerned for the health of the folks and as we learn more we’re able to become more productive.” Others attending the meeting raised concerns that residents outside Blades’ corporate limits weren’t aware they could be affected by the contamination as well, and some scolded the town for being billed for bad water.
“I want to know what kind of tests my daughter can have to ensure this is not going to affect her in the long-run.”

Barbadians need not worry about the island’s drinking water being contaminated as a result of the compromised sewer lines on the south coast.
Minister responsible for Water Resource Management, Dr David Estwick, gave the assurance during a press conference held at his Ministry’s Graeme Hall, Christ Church offices, last Saturday.
“Our potable water system and our sewage system are distinct and separate, therefore the breaches that have occurred within the distribution system of the sewage treatment plant do not, in any way, affect our potable water system,” Dr Estwick explained, adding that tests have not shown any irregularities.
However, the Minister reassured that this process was safe.
“Deep injections wells go significantly below the level of the aquifers and are deep enough to ensure that there is enough material, rocks and so on, between the aquifers and where you would discharge [the sewage].
Therefore, the likelihood of the [sewage] coming back up and causing any issues is very low,” he stated.
Reiterating that this is a short-term measure, Dr Estwick said they may opt to keep these wells as “emergency back-up” so they could be used in the future should a similar situation arise.
The proposed injection wells are to be dug near the south coast sewage plant, however, authorities are conducting hydro-geotechnical tests to determine the number of wells and the best location for them.
He further stated that some of the wells would be “redundant”, meaning they would not be used in a major capacity, but would instead be used to facilitate the cleaning of the other wells.
(BGIS)

Those chemicals have been in found in some drinking-water wells on Whidbey Island, Issaquah, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Airway Heights near Fairchild Air Force Base.
If the bill passes both chambers, Washington would become the first state to restrict the sale of firefighting foams with PFAS, said Ivy Sager-Rosenthal of Toxic-Free Future, a group that advocated for the bill.
The bill now heads to the House, where a companion billpassed out of committee.
The foams are used for fighting oil-based fires, but alternative foams without the chemicals also are available.
Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, proposed an unsuccessful amendment to also exempt Washington refineries.
PFAS raises health concerns that include elevated risks for kidney and testicular cancers.
The chemical also has caused concern among firefighters, who have higher rates of cancer than the overall U.S. population, according to a joint study by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the University of California, Davis.
But in Washington, some fire departments already are switching to foams that don’t include PFAS, according to Michael White, legislative liaison for the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters.
Their personal protective equipment may also contain the chemical, and the legislation would require manufacturers who sell the firefighting personal protective equipment to provide written notice at the time of sale if PFAS are used in this gear.
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BELMONT, Mich.– The Kent County Department of Public Works recently released well monitor results showing PFAS at levels as high as 237 parts per trillion near the North Kent Landfill but according to decades-old state documents obtained by FOX 17, county leaders had plenty of warning that water there was in danger of being contaminated.
The Kent County Department of Public Works and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality are now coordinating well tests and providing bottled water to 47 nearby homes and businesses south and west of the North Kent Landfill.
Beemer tells FOX 17.
"You know, it’s just bad.
“They were gonna test for everything they’re looking for now, they didn’t say specifically," Beemer says.
The township’s records say those concerns went unanswered and a state appeals board ignored multiple landfill violations.
“Before we moved in, Kent County has to give you the permit to move in, that first told us they weren’t gonna give it to us, that was right after our house was built," Sue says.
Sue says the county told her they were initially denied approval to move in because the water problem was so severe.
For nearly a year beginning in September 1977, the North Kent landfill was unlicensed because of concerns over water contamination.
Wolverine Worldwide recently announced it will spend $40 million to address this issue.