3M accused of contaminating public wells in Hastings with toxic chemical

A lawsuit accuses the global manufacturing company 3M of contaminating public drinking water wells in Hastings, Minnesota, with the toxic chemical perfluorooctanoic acid.

According to the court document filed on Wednesday, the substance, also known as a "forever chemical," does not readily break down and can be in an environment for a long time. Its exposure in humans has been linked to multiple "adverse health effects," including cancer, tumors, liver damage and immune system disorders, the document said.

The lawsuit said 3M manufactured perfluorooctanoic acid at "dedicated areas" of its Cottage Grove, Minnesota, facility from the 1940s through 2002 and that the chemical was emitted from smokestacks.

"Since Hastings' public wells are downwind of 3M's PFOA smokestacks, the waste PFOA was deposited by a prevailing wind onto soils where it continues to leach into and contaminate Hastings' public wells," the lawsuit said.

Five of the city's wells will require treatment to remove the chemical from its drinking water, according to the court document.

"3M knew for decades that PFOA was toxic and posed substantial health and environmental risks, but it also concealed this information from Hastings," the lawsuit said.

The city is seeking unspecified compensatory damages related to contamination of the wells, the lawsuit says.

3M said in response to the lawsuit, "The City's decision to pursue litigation is unfortunate. Over many years, 3M has led industry in addressing PFAS in the environment. In 2000, 3M announced it would exit the manufacture of certain long-chain PFAS and, in 2022, that it would discontinue the manufacture of all PFAS globally by the end of 2025. 3M successfully met that goal. Here in Minnesota, 3M in 2018 provided a commitment of $850 million to mitigate PFAS in the State—including drinking water in East Metro communities. That was followed in 2024 by a $10.3 billion commitment to assist public water suppliers across the United States that had detected PFAS in their water or would do so in the future, covering more than 11,000 public water systems across the country. 3M remains willing to engage with the City to discuss any legitimate concerns it may have."

Court documents show 3M must respond to the lawsuit by Sept. 16.