How 3M Hid the 'Forever Chemicals' Crisis for Decades
How the Planet-Altering Disaster of "Forever Chemicals" Was Kept Secret
ProPublica's Sharon Lerner uncovers how 3M kept the dangers of PFAS 'forever chemicals' secret for decades. After years of reporting, a former 3M scientist, Kris Hansen, reveals that in the 1990s she discovered PFOS in the blood of the general public, not just factory workers. Her boss acknowledged the finding with 'This changes everything' but then retired, and the company continued production. This podcast episode explores how a corporate giant concealed a planet-altering disaster.
To find a chemical associated with your company in the blood of the general population and not really know how it got there is frightening.
- adjejmxbdjdn
> They have developmental effects, immune effects. Thyroid, liver, hormonal systems. Some cause cancer, kidney cancer, obesity. They bind to proteins in your blood, and they change how systems in your bodies work.
Is there any evidence that the amounts found in humans using non stick pans, for example, and not those drinking water downstream from an industrial source of “forever chemicals”, have any of these effects?
- chaz6
Crimes on this scale warrant capital punishment.
- alt227
The Veritasium documentary on this is very informative:
- aftbit
https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas...
- rkagerer
A team of New York University researchers estimated in 2018 that the costs of just two forever chemicals, PFOA and PFOS — in terms of disease burden, disability and health-care expenses — amounted to as much as $62 billion in a single year. This exceeds the current market value of 3M.
- hefner1456
Just look up "firefighting foam military base". I know someone that had major thyroid issues due to this.
- mentalgear
There's an excellent film with, and produced by, Mark Ruffalo ("Avengers").
"Dark Waters" about the environmental lawyer who exposed the whole fowl conspiracy by DuPont Chemicals, 3M, and other industrial chemical companies and the knowingly poisoning of the (American) people for decades (and still continuing). Most recommended !
- croes
So like with climate change the ones responsible knew for decades but preferred the profit.