Former Minnesota AG Swanson and 3M square off over PFAS at a House hearing

WASHINGTON – A former Minnesota attorney general and an executive from 3M Co. faced off Tuesday before a congressional panel examining a product at the center of a national pollution scandal.

For more than half a century, 3M and other chemical companies used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, to waterproof clothes and shoes, make cookware that doesn't stick and produce firefighting foam that resists high heat. The proliferation of PFAS in the nation's drinking water, groundwater and soil, as well as U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warnings that PFAS might cause health issues, including high cholesterol, liver problems and cancer, has attracted the scrutiny of Congress.

http://www.startribune.com/former-minnesota-ag-swanson-and-3m-will-square-off-over-pfas-at-a-house-hearing-today/559930962/