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3M questioned about forever chemicals
Recorded depositions obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators show 3M executives and scientists were aware of potential environmental and health risks associated with PFAS chemicals decades before the company began phasing out the manufacturing of some chemicals.
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (FOX 9) - Hundreds of recorded depositions obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators show 3M executives and scientists were aware of potential environmental and health risks associated with PFAS chemicals decades before the company began phasing out the manufacturing of some chemicals.
The videos
The depositions reveal how 3M executives historically backed the practice of dumping waste in several locations in the Twin Cities east metro, which ultimately contaminated the drinking water in affected areas.
The depositions are part of a landmark $850 million lawsuit against 3M that has since been settled.
While some statements were previously reflected in court records, the videos obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators through a public records request offer an unfiltered view into the contentious litigation that dragged on for seven years.
"This was the most hard fought, knock down, scorched earth litigation I’d been involved in," said former Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson.
In dozens of videos, 3M executives and scientists are grilled about the company’s own research into PFAS.
‘All the monkeys died’
In several depositions, 3M researchers were repeatedly asked about studies of PFAS chemicals, including an experiment on monkeys from 1979 where all the monkeys died.
One 3M scientist testified that the results of that early experiment could be of concern to humans "depending on the dosage."
Found in human blood
An internal 3M memo from 1975 shows independent scientists first alerted the company they found PFAS chemicals in human blood in Texas and New York – and that Scotchgard was a likely source of the contamination.
During a recorded deposition, one 3M scientist said that "there always was a concern about the presence of materials in the workers’ blood and it was a bigger concern when it was found in the general population.
After the company confirmed PFAS was in human blood, 3M attorneys urged them "not to release the true identity of the source," according to company records.
"Some of those studies they covered up for decades," Swanson said.
The watchdog
A top 3M researcher testified during a deposition that he was concerned about how 3M had conducted research into PFAS chemicals, describing himself as a "watchdog."
Doctor Richard Purdy explained his "profound disappointment" in 3M’s handling of the environmental risks associated with the chemicals in a 1999 resignation letter.
In his deposition years later, Purdy said that he thought 3M waited too long to tell customers about the widespread dispersal of the chemicals in the people and the environment, and that he felt "guilty" about it.
The year after Purdy notified the EPA of his concerns, 3M announced it would phase out some – but not all – PFAS chemicals.
PFAS manufacturing
3M first began producing PFAS chemicals in the 1950s, which were used to make several household products, including its blockbuster product Scotchgard. Across the country today, the chemicals can be found in everything including dental floss, women’s makeup products, non-stick cooking pans and waterproof clothing.
What 3M is saying now
In a recent statement to the FOX 9 Investigators, a company spokesperson said: "3M has and will continue to take action to address PFAS across the company."
3M also said it has widely shared its own research on forever chemicals and is now "on track" to stop manufacturing all PFAS chemicals by 2025.
Lasting impact
Following Minnesota’s landmark lawsuit against 3M, the company has continued to face the financial fallout from additional lawsuits across the country.
"3M knew some of this information going back decades and didn’t tell the public," Swanson said. "The consequences of that to the environment and human health we may never fully know."