MELBOURNE — Australia filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Australia against U.S. conglomerate 3M Company and its subsidiary 3M Australia, seeking more than AU$2 billion ($1.4 billion) in damages over contamination from firefighting foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at 28 defense bases. The Commonwealth alleges the foam caused environmental damage requiring costly remediation efforts.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland accused 3M of withholding information about the environmental risks posed by the foam. “The Commonwealth (of Australia) is seeking more than AU$2 billion ($1.4 billion) in damages to recover past and future expenses incurred in investigating and managing contamination resulting from the historic storage and use of this foam,” Rowland said in a statement to reporters.

Assistant Defense Minister Peter Khalil said the Department of Defense had already spent AU$1.3 billion ($920 million) on managing and mitigating the environmental impacts of the PFAS-containing foam. “We are prepared to take on powerful corporations when Australians and Australian communities have been impacted,” Khalil stated.

The Australian Defense Department has removed 200,000 metric tons of contaminated earth from defense bases and treated 13 billion liters of contaminated water. In 2018, the department warned residents near Richmond Air Base outside Sydney to reduce their consumption of locally produced fish and eggs after PFAS was detected in nearby groundwater.

3M said it would fight Australia’s claim. The company stated, “3M has never manufactured PFAS in Australia and ceased sales of the products at issue in Australia around two decades ago.” It added, “Despite this, the (Australian) Department of Defense continued to use PFAS-containing firefighting foams for nearly two decades longer.”

PFAS are human-made chemicals commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally. Since the 1950s, they have been used in household and industrial products that resist heat, stains, grease, and water. Firefighting foam containing PFAS was widely used because of its effectiveness against fuel fires. This lawsuit is Australia’s largest-ever claim for compensation.