3M sets 2025 deadline to stop making ‘forever chemicals’

Company’s current net sales of manufactured PFAS, which are linked to cancer and heart problems, are about $1.3bn

US industrial conglomerate 3M on Tuesday set a deadline of 2025 to stop making PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”, that are used in everything from cellphones to semiconductors and have been linked to illnesses ranging from cancer, heart problems to low birth weights.

The per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are known as forever chemicals because the substances do not break down quickly and have in recent years been found in dangerous concentrations in drinking water, soils and foods across the country.