Tag: 3M

3M warns Trump: Halting exports under Defense Production Act would reduce number of masks available to US

3M  warned on Friday that the Trump administration’s request for the company to stop exporting respirator masks could actually make the protective gear less available in the United States.

The Minnesota manufacturing giant issued the warning a day after President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to force 3M to step up its production of desperately needed respirator masks for front-line health workers to use in the fight against the coronavirus.

The text of Trump’s order issued Thursday night directs acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf to “use any and all authority available under the Act to acquire, from any appropriate subsidiary or affiliate of 3M Company, the number of N-95 respirators that the Administrator determines to be appropriate.” Continue reading.

Inside America’s mask crunch: A slow government reaction and an industry wary of liability

Washington Post logoOn March 5, as the deadly novel coronavirus was racing through the United States, Vice President Pence paid a visit to the Minnesota headquarters of 3M, the manufacturing giant that produces protective respiratory masks.

Pence, who leads the White House’s coronavirus task force, praised the company during a public roundtable for deciding at the outset of the crisis “to go to full capacity” and ramp up production of high-grade N95 masks.

With its factories in South Dakota and Nebraska cranked up and running around the clock, 3M was on pace to double its global output to nearly 100 million a month, according to the company. Continue reading.

FAQ on the 3M Settlements from Attorney General Lori Swanson

Introduction.

After seven years of intense litigation—involving the production of over 27,000,000 pages of documents, the taking of almost 200 witness depositions, over $10 million dollars in tests, fees and costs, over 100 judicial hearings and conferences, over 1,600 court filings, and a final non-stop negotiating session lasting 22 hours, our 3M lawsuit involving the discharge of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) is finally resolved.   By the end of the case, over 75 lawyers from eight law firms had been involved with various aspects of the matter, which included several appeals to the Court of Appeals or Supreme Court and one lawsuit against one of the law firms.  Continue reading “FAQ on the 3M Settlements from Attorney General Lori Swanson”

10,000 Lakes

The following is from an e-mail from Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson sent February 7, 2018:

Credit: Glen Stubbe

My Office has been inundated with inquiries about the lawsuit against 3M Company regarding fluorochemicals. The purpose of this advisory is to provide background on the litigation.

History

The Manhattan Project.

The Manhattan Project was a top-secret project undertaken by the American military during World War II.  Its mission was to create the nuclear bomb.  A major hurdle in the Manhattan Project was the inability to separate the uranium needed to make the bomb.  The scientists discovered that fluorine gas could be used to separate the uranium.  Fluorine is a greenish-yellow gas that is buried deep in the rocks beneath the earth and is among the most dangerous elements that exists. It was called the “Wildest Hellcat” or the “Devil’s Poison.”   It can burn water.  It can burn steel.  It can burn asbestos. Continue reading “10,000 Lakes”