Australian gov't lays out PFAS case against 3M in federal court hearing

CANBERRA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has laid out the details of its 2-billion-Australian-dollar (about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars) lawsuit against chemical manufacturer 3M over PFAS contamination at 28 defense bases across the country at a federal court hearing.

At the first case management hearing on Friday, lawyers for the Australian government and 3M described the claim as "large and complex," the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

The Australian government is seeking damages to recover costs associated with investigating, managing and remediating contamination linked to firefighting foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

PFAS, known as "forever chemicals," persist in the environment and have been associated with health risks including cancer.

The matter will return to court on Oct. 16, with 3M required to file its defense by Dec. 11. Enditem