How the Disaster of "Forever Chemicals" Was Kept Secret
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
A former 3M scientist explains how the company concealed PFAS contamination for decades.
Reporter Sharon Lerner interviews Kris Hansen, a former 3M chemist who in the 1990s discovered PFOS in the blood of the general population, not just factory workers. Her bosses questioned her results, and a colleague who tested horse blood celebrated finding PFOS there, arguing it proved her wrong. Hansen eventually found no PFOS only in blood samples from before mass production. Her discovery was met with company skepticism and dismissal. 3M had known the chemicals were toxic since the 1970s but continued production, enabling a global contamination crisis.
What commenters are saying
Commenters draw parallels to climate change, tobacco, leaded gasoline, asbestos, and glyphosates, noting a pattern of companies prioritizing profit over public health. Some argue the problem is not evolution but corporate law and regulatory capture. A few call for capital punishment, but others dismiss this as ineffective and suggest instead stronger whistleblower incentives or abolishing limited liability for executives. Many express fatalism, believing the situation will worsen before it improves.