"3M on Tuesday secured preliminary approval for a $10.3 billion deal resolving claims by U.S. public water providers that the company polluted drinking water with toxic chemicals, less than a day after a group of 22 U.S. states and territories dropped their objections to the deal.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel in Charleston, South Carolina, said in a court filing that the settlement of hundreds of lawsuits against the Minnesota-based company over pollution by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, is “sufficiently fair, reasonable and adequate” to justify moving forward.

Paul Napoli, an attorney for the water providers, called the preliminary approval a “pivotal moment in our ongoing efforts to ensure safe and clean drinking water.”

A 3M spokesperson said the agreement will benefit U.S. public water systems that provide water to “a vast majority of Americans” without further litigation."

Clark Mindock reports for Reuters August 29, 2023. [2]