The permanent compounds lurking in ordinary people's blood—and the truth that chemical giants have 'covered up' for decades

In 1999, Hansen reported to 3M’s top management—including its then-CEO—the detection of PFOS and other PFAS compounds in human blood. Her findings meant that chemicals manufactured by 3M had entered the bloodstream of ordinary people—even those who had never worked at a 3M plant or lived near one. Regardless of 3M’s internal stance on the safety of PFOS and other PFAS molecules, their widespread presence in the general population’s blood should have triggered urgent alarm among senior management. Yet, according to Hansen’s recollection, executives spent the meeting questioning why she had conducted the research in the first place. Afterward, Hansen faced increasing restrictions: she was assigned only specific research projects, and all results had to be reported to designated personnel. Ironically, as early as the 1970s, 3M already knew PFOS and other PFAS compounds were present in the general population. As noted earlier, in 1976 an external scientist discovered possible PFAS traces in human blood and contacted 3M; internal 3M researchers quickly confirmed this finding in their own experiments. Hansen merely replicated, on a broader scale, results 3M had known about two decades earlier. By 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had already begun pressuring 3M over PFAS—yet the company remained preoccupied with silencing its own scientists studying PFAS, a truly astonishing response. Even more startling is how decades’ worth of PFAS research accumulated internally at both 3M and DuPont remained fragmented and siloed. For instance, Hansen—a chemist—detected PFAS in blood but, due to her disciplinary focus, lacked expertise in their toxicology. Yet as early as the 1950s, 3M had already observed PFAS toxicity in animal studies. Employees aware of human PFAS exposure were unaware of toxicological data; those familiar with toxicology knew nothing about human biomonitoring results. This fragmentation likely stemmed from 3M’s and DuPont’s subconscious awareness that such research could severely damage their PFAS businesses—so rather than investigating the full picture, they chose to minimize the visibility and impact of potentially damaging findings. Ultimately, Robert Bilott—a quintessential 'outsider' and 'layperson'—pieced together a far more comprehensive understanding of PFAS safety hazards through litigation and access to DuPont’s internal documents than either corporate giant—with hundreds of employed scientists—ever managed. Many blame 3M and DuPont for prioritizing profit above all else, thereby creating the global PFAS pollution crisis. Yet strictly speaking, both companies pursued only extremely short-term profits. In 2022, 3M announced it would fully exit PFAS production by 2025 and simultaneously cease using PFAS in all its products. According to 3M’s own figures, annual PFAS-related profits totaled approximately $200 million [14]. That may sound substantial—but in 2023 alone, 3M’s settlement payouts to U.S. community water systems exceeded $10 billion. Earlier, in 2018, the company settled a lawsuit brought by Minnesota—the state where 3M is headquartered—for $850 million.

A U.S. company discharges carcinogens into tap water—and pays $10 billion in compensation | In-depth report by 36Kr

Faced with a flood of environmental pollution lawsuits, global chemical giant 3M has finally responded. On June 22, local time, 3M announced it agreed to pay between $10.5 billion and $12.5 billion to settle hundreds of claims related to water contamination caused by 'forever chemicals' (PFAS). PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—a broad class of synthetic chemicals dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they resist natural degradation in the environment. In recent years, PFAS have been detected at hazardous concentrations in drinking water, soil, and food across the United States—and linked to liver damage, weakened immune systems, and certain cancers. Under the settlement agreement, 3M will provide funding to U.S. public water systems over the next 13 years to test for and remediate PFAS contamination. Although 3M has reached this settlement, it does not admit liability for the pollution. The company stated that if the agreement fails to gain court approval—or if certain conditions remain unmet—it stands ready to defend itself in litigation. In fact, 3M is not alone: other globally renowned chemical firms—including DuPont—also face similar pollution allegations. Because 3M pioneered PFAS development as early as the late 1940s and continuously expanded its applications, the company now sits squarely at the center of this public relations storm. In response to mounting litigation pressure, 3M announced last December its plan to exit PFAS manufacturing and eliminate PFAS from its entire product portfolio by the end of 2025. Today, preventing and remediating PFAS contamination has become a global issue—and major chemical corporations are undergoing dramatic strategic shifts. Yet for the irreversible harms caused by PFAS, solutions beyond monetary compensation remain unclear. PFAS: Once created, they live forever. While the public is well acquainted with plastic and other forms of 'white pollution,' the dangers posed by certain specific chemicals remain insufficiently recognized. In reality, the impact of such substances extends far beyond imagination—and PFAS is a prime example. PFAS constitute a vast family of chemical compounds—over 5,000 types are known. Valued for their water- and grease-repellency, low friction, and exceptional thermal stability, they are widely used across industrial manufacturing—and today permeate everyday life. Tracing their origins, PFAS emerged during the U.S. Manhattan Project in World War II, when a chemist passed toxic yellow fluorine gas through a carbon arc, forging an almost indestructible carbon–fluorine bond (C–F bond)—the foundational feature of PFAS. Shortly thereafter, multinational corporation 3M acquired the chemist’s patent and rapidly expanded PFAS applications—from defense to petrochemicals, electronics, construction, and other civilian sectors. Since the 1940s and 1950s, PFAS have been widely incorporated into consumer goods, including firefighting foams, non-stick cookware, cleaning sprays, waterproof sportswear, stain-resistant carpets, cosmetics—and even fast-food packaging. Like two sides of the same coin, PFAS’s unique chemical properties deliver immense commercial value while simultaneously plunging them into a 'toxic abyss.'

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