Documents show 3M knew of dangers of PFAS chemicals

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) on Wednesday released 20 3M documents as part of a timeline that the activist organization said shows the company knew about and hid the dangers of PFAS, a family of chemicals now at the center of a national pollution controversy. Among other things, the documents and timeline released by EWG suggest that 3M was aware for decades that PFAS built up in the bodies of humans exposed to them. The earliest document dates to 1950. A 1963 3M study included in the report rated company “fluoro¬chemical surfactants” as “mildly toxic” or “slightly toxic” and warned: “Due care should be exercised in handling these materials until further information is available on their physiological properties.” In a statement Wednesday, 3M said it has tried to increase understanding of PFAS by placing “thousands of documents in the public domain.” “Much of the 3M-related documents shared by EWG reflect a small batch of documents released by the Minnesota Attorney General,” the company added. “They portray an incomplete and misleading story that distorts the full record regarding 3M’s action with respect to PFOA and PFOS, as well as who we are as a company.