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Current information, added in 2026

What has changed since

The pages in this archive record what 3M said about PFAS on pfasfacts.com between 2018 and 2025. Several of those statements have since been overtaken by scientific and regulatory decisions. This page summarises the main ones, with links to the primary sources. It was last checked in September 2026 and is not medical or legal advice.

Cancer classification of PFOA and PFOS

The 2018 edition of pfasfacts.com said the International Agency for Research on Cancer “views PFOA as less carcinogenic than alcoholic beverages, red meat, and even very hot drinks.” At that time IARC classified PFOA as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), following an evaluation in 2014 published in IARC Monographs volume 110 in 2016.

On 1 December 2023 IARC announced a new evaluation, published as IARC Monographs volume 135. It classified PFOA as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) and PFOS as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B).

U.S. drinking water limits

The final edition of pfasfacts.com said “It is the role of the EPA to review the different PFAS compounds and the best available science to determine how PFAS compounds should be regulated.” On 10 April 2024 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the first enforceable national drinking water standards for PFAS:

  • PFOA: 4.0 parts per trillion
  • PFOS: 4.0 parts per trillion
  • PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (known as GenX): 10 parts per trillion each
  • Mixtures of certain PFAS: a hazard index of 1

On 18 May 2026 EPA proposed two rules: one keeping the PFOA and PFOS limits while letting water systems request two more years, to 2031, to comply, and one rescinding the limits for PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA and the hazard index mixture. EPA describes these as proposals.

The ATSDR toxicological profile

The final edition quoted what the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry “reported in May 2018”. That was a draft released for public comment. ATSDR released the final Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls in May 2021.

3M and PFAS

On 20 December 2022 3M announced that it would “exit per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) manufacturing and work to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025.”

On 29 March 2024 the U.S. District Court in Charleston, South Carolina, gave final approval to 3M’s settlement with U.S. public water suppliers over PFAS in drinking water. 3M described the agreement as a “pre-tax present value commitment of up to $10.3 billion payable over 13 years.”

pfasfacts.com itself

The last Internet Archive capture of 3M’s pfasfacts.com is dated 31 May 2025. By 15 July 2025 the address showed a registrar notice that the domain was pending renewal or had expired. This archive was built afterwards and has no connection with 3M. See About this archive.

Sources