May 28 (UPI) — Australia launched a record $1.4 billion lawsuit against 3M in the United States and Australia accusing it of using per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, so-called “forever chemicals,” in firefighting foam used at 28 military bases.

Announcing the government’s largest ever civil suit, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the compensation being sought was to cover the substantial costs of the cleanup from a product she alleged 3M knowingly misled the government over, regarding its environmental impact and safety.

Rowland said the company must be made to account for “the economic and environmental harms associated with PFAS contamination.”

“This misconduct has contributed to substantial costs for defense and the Australian taxpayer, including over $1bn to date to investigate, remediate and mitigate PFAS contamination at defense estate sites,” she said.

The specific allegation set out in the government’s legal claim is that 3M misrepresented the effects of aqueous film-forming foam, withheld information about environmental risks and provided assurances regarding disposal and environmental safety that were not in line with what the company knew to be the case.

Deputy Defense Minister Peter Khalil said more than 200,000 tons of PFAS-contaminated soil had been removed from the affected bases and treated, consuming more than 3.4 billion gallons of water as part of the decontamination process.

Khalil said the damages claim was to recoup these major expenditures as well as the future costs the Defense Department faced from investigating and managing the defense estate and supporting Australians affected by PFAS.”

3M, which said it never manufactured PFAS in Australia and pulled the fire-retardant foam from the Australian market around two decades back, vowed to mount a legal defense. It said that the Defense Department had continued using PFAS-containing foam until recently.

In 2022, the company committed to fully phase out PFAS production by 2025, months before reaching a $10.3 billion out-of-court deal with municipalities across the United States in summer 2023 to test public water supply systems for PFAS and treat those found to be contaminated.

The Australian legal challenge against 3M comes nine months after worries over the environment and health impacts saw the government ban three key PFAS chemicals.

Studies have linked PFAS, known as “forever chemicals” as they remain in the body and environment and do not dissipate or biodegrade like other substances, to cancer, hormonal abnormalities and ecological damage.

PFAS are found in many consumer products from non-stick cookware and stain and water resistant fabric to cosmetics.