3M watchdog says he ‘agonized’ over PFAS chemicals in video deposition

(FOX 9) - A former 3M scientist and self-proclaimed "watchdog" said during a recorded deposition that he "agonized" over his decision to quit his job after his efforts to make the company aware of the dangers associated with PFAS chemicals were met with "roadblocks, delays and indecision."

The Watchdog 

Former 3M ecological toxicologist Dr. Richard Purdy said during recorded testimony that he was concerned about an "ecosystem wide" contamination after a 1998 study he conducted found evidence of PFAS chemicals in wild eaglets and albatross. 

"Concern because it means it’s traveling a long way from where it’s being manufactured and used," Dr. Purdy said in the recorded video deposition more than 18 years after he wrote his resignation letter. 

In that letter, Dr. Purdy said his concerns "should be reported to the EPA."

But in the deposition video, Dr. Purdy said he was "not aware of a report."

3M was later fined $1.5 million by the EPA after failing to report its alarming studies to the agency. 

"3M had to reveal all the studies they covered up for decades that they were supposed to disclose under a federal law," said former Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson . 

The recorded video depositions obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators are part of an $850 million environmental lawsuit filed by the State of Minnesota against 3M, after the company dumped PFAS-contaminated waste in the Twin Cities area for decades.

An abrupt exit 

During several depositions, 3M scientists said Dr. Purdy’s abrupt exit from the company was "a surprise" and that Dr. Purdy’s "expectations were greater than we could deliver." 

"I said let’s just try to manage through this – try to satisfy his concerns," 3M Director of Health Safety Mike Santoro said during a recorded deposition. 

Purdy briefly returned to 3M before he retired in the early 2000s.

However, Dr. Purdy continued to speak out about PFAS chemicals, including in a 2002 interview with the FOX 9 Investigators where he said "it may be the most insidious pollutant that man’s created." 

What 3M is saying 

3M would not agree to an on-camera interview, but a spokesperson said in a statement that "as the science and technology of PFAS, societal and regulatory expectations, and our expectations of ourselves have evolved, so has how we manage PFAS."

Manufacturing PFAS chemicals 

3M first began making PFAS chemicals in the 1950s to produce and sell a variety of non-stick and waterproof household items all across the world. The company’s marquee product was Scotchgard. 

PFAS chemicals have since been linked to a variety of health concerns, including an increased risk of certain cancers. 

In 2000, the company began phasing out some PFAS chemicals and said it is now "on schedule" to stop the manufacturing of all PFAS chemicals by 2025.