The Australian government has launched its largest-ever legal action, filing a AU$2 billion (US$1.4 billion) lawsuit in the Federal Court against US manufacturing giant 3M and its Australian subsidiary over the contamination of 28 military bases with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS or "forever chemicals", used in firefighting foam.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland announced the action on Thursday, accusing 3M of withholding and misrepresenting information about the environmental risks of its aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). The government alleges that 3M gave assurances about disposal and environmental safety that were inconsistent with what the company knew at the time. "This misconduct has contributed to substantial costs for defence and the Australian taxpayer, including over $1 billion to date to investigate, remediate and mitigate PFAS contamination at defence estate sites," Rowland said.

The scale of the clean-up has been significant. More than 200,000 tonnes of contaminated soil have been removed and treated across the affected bases, and around 13 billion litres of water have been processed as part of the multi-year decontamination effort. Alternative water supplies, including bottled water and rainwater tanks, were provided to 785 properties. The contamination has affected communities living near defence sites, including an Aboriginal community in New South Wales that bathed in and gathered food near rivers contaminated by the foam. Australia's defence force began phasing out PFAS-containing foams in 2004, though high concentrations of the chemicals persist in the surrounding environment.

PFAS are a group of more than 14,000 human-made compounds valued for their resistance to heat, water and oil, and found in products ranging from non-stick cookware and stain-proof carpets to mobile phones and firefighting foam. They break down extremely slowly under normal environmental conditions — hence the "forever chemicals" label — and have been linked to serious health risks including liver damage, lower birth weight and certain cancers. 3M announced in 2022 that it would cease production of PFAS chemicals. In response to Australia's action, a company spokesperson said 3M had never manufactured PFAS in Australia, had stopped selling the relevant products there roughly two decades ago, and noted that the Department of Defence continued using PFAS-containing foams for years after that. The company said it would "defend ourselves against these claims through the legal process."

The lawsuit follows a AU$133 million class action settlement the Australian government reached with residents from seven affected communities in 2023, and mirrors broader global legal pressure on 3M. The company agreed to a US$10.3 billion settlement in the United States in 2023 to fund clean-up of public water systems polluted by PFAS. Australia's case underscores growing international momentum to hold manufacturers accountable for the long-term environmental and public health costs of forever chemicals, with the US Environmental Protection Agency describing PFAS contamination as "an urgent public health and environmental issue."