The Commonwealth is seeking damages from the manufacturer of a firefighting foam that contaminated 28 defence bases. (ABC News)<\/p>\n
A 1,600-page statement of claim by the Commonwealth alleges a US chemical manufacturer withheld damning environmental and health information about components of its firefighting foam for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The federal government is suing 3M for $2 billion over PFAS contamination from products used at 28 defence bases in Australia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The matter will return to court in October.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A US chemical manufacturer stands accused of withholding evidence that its firefighting products used by the Australian Defence Force were toxic and did not break down in the environment.<\/p>\n
A mammoth Federal Court claim brought by the Australian government against 3M labels the company's actions "intentional and reprehensible".<\/p>\n
It claims that by 1979, 3M knew that variants of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contained in its firefighting foam "persist indefinitely, bioaccumulate and bio-concentrate in both humans and animals", were potentially toxic to animals and could migrate into drinking water.<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth alleges that 3M and 3M Australia "continued to manufacture, market, distribute and sell" aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) for another 24 years, until at least 2003.<\/p>\n
The statement of claim alleges "conscious, contumelious, contemptuous or outrageous disregard for the rights of the Commonwealth and the broader Australian public, including Defence personnel and those living in the areas surrounding the Bases, who have been affected by the presence and continued migration of \u2026 PFAS contamination".<\/p>\n
During the first case management hearing on August 7, Justice Catherine Button described the 1,600-page document as "daunting", while 3M's counsel said it was the "most complex matter" they had ever seen.<\/p>\n
Chemicals contained in firefighting foam used at the Williamtown RAAF base are now at the centre of a water contamination scare. (CRC CARE)<\/p>\n
In its largest ever legal claim, the government announced in May it was seeking $2 billion in damages arising from PFAS contamination at 28 Defence bases across Australia and the areas surrounding them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Large quantities of the foam were discharged in and around each of the sites during training and operational activities over about 30 years.<\/p>\n
The ABC has obtained the statement of claim in which the Commonwealth alleges the use of 3M's AFFF "resulted in significant contamination" of land and water, including drinking water, that posed\u00a0risks to human and animal health and the environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth said it had incurred "substantial costs",\u00a0including $214 million for undertaking investigations, remediation and ongoing monitoring, and $367 million in settlements from five class actions brought against the government.\u00a0<\/p>\n