MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia is suing the U.S. company 3M for over $1.4 billion due to contamination from “forever chemicals” in firefighting foam at defense bases. The government announced the lawsuit on Thursday, focusing on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, at 28 sites. These “forever chemicals” don’t break down naturally. Australia filed the suit in the Federal Court of Australia. 3M plans to contest the claim, stating it stopped selling the foam in Australia two decades ago but that the Defense Department continued using it longer. The Australian government seeks damages for past and future expenses related to managing the contamination.
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