New Jersey is set to collect up to $450 million over the next quarter-century from 3M after the chemical giant agreed to settle several state lawsuits alleging its products contaminated water supplies, state Attorney General Matt Platkin said Tuesday.
The settlement, which is subject to public comment and court approval, is the largest single clean-water-related settlement in state history, Platkin said.
3M admitted no wrongdoing. The company announced aspects of the deal Monday after attorneys worked throughout the nights over the last week to reach an agreement. The deal allows 3M to avoid a trial next week in a lawsuit the state filed over pollution at the Chambers Works site in Salem County against makers and sellers of the chemicals, also known as PFAS, that are linked to a variety of health hazards, including cancer.
Platkin said the company knew about the chemicals’ harm “and yet 3M kept selling as much PFAS as it could.”
