How the Planet-Altering Disaster of "Forever Chemicals" Was Kept Secret

ProPublica reporter Sharon Lerner found that 3M knew its PFAS “forever chemicals” were toxic and present in people’s blood from the 1970s onward but kept manufacturing them for use in food packaging, non-stick cookware, cosmetics, firefighting foam and textiles. A former 3M environmental-lab scientist, after a 27-year career, confirmed she accessed “highly sensitive data” on PFAS in the 1990s, documenting the company’s concealment of hazards while the chemicals spread globally and were linked to developmental, immune, thyroid, liver, hormonal disruptions, cancer, kidney disease and obesity.