"3M has never manufactured PFAS in Australia and ceased sales of the products at issue in Australia around two decades ago," they said."Despite this, the Department of Defence continued to use PFAS-containing fire-fighting foams for nearly two decades longer, as noted in a recent legislative committee report."We will defend ourselves against these claims through the legal process."The manufacturing giant with a market capitalisation of $110 billion is one of the 300 most valuable companies in the world Industrial workers manufacturing the chemicals and those living next to contaminated zones who have spent years drinking contaminated water are the most at risk.3M changed its product formulations in the US in the early 2000s and stopped selling Lightwater AFFF in Australia in 2005., to comply with Defence specifications.3M committed to completely abandoning all PFAS manufacturing in 2022.For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.