PFAS exposure at 3M Swansea plant prompts health and environmental concerns

Dozens of workers at the 3M factory in Swansea were exposed to toxic PFAS chemicals through firefighting foam over decades, according to BBC File on 4 Investigates. The investigation argues that 3M knew about the health risks posed by PFOS and PFOA for years but did not inform employees, even as the company moved to stop manufacturing the two chemicals in 2002. The Swansea site, which opened in 1952, was 3M’s largest outside the United States and employed more than 1,000 people involved in manufacturing items such as nappy fasteners and video tape. In 2023, 3M announced the decision to close the factory and began seeking planning permission to redevelop the site.

The BBC report identifies a land contamination study among hundreds of documents submitted to the local council that shows the site is polluted with PFOS and PFOA. While 3M did not manufacture PFAS at the Swansea site, the report attributes the chemicals to historical firefighting activities using aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF. The BBC’s investigation also speaks with former workers who were part of an on-site emergency squad, called the fire party, who trained with chemical-filled foam and were not told about the substances they handled.

Soil tests conducted in 2023 showed PFOS concentrations ranging from 50 to more than 1,500 micrograms per kilogram, with upper levels many times higher than typical British soils. Environmental scientist David Megson of Manchester Metropolitan University said these levels are concerning, and in commercial settings, PFAS concentrations above about 600 micrograms could raise health risks through dust inhalation or skin contact. PFOS and PFOA belong to the PFAS family, which persist in the environment and have been linked to a range of health issues. The World Health Organization, in 2024, classified PFOA as carcinogenic and PFOS as possibly carcinogenic to humans. 3M has long maintained that protecting workers and communities is a priority and notes that it phased PFOS and PFOA out of operations and has discontinued PFAS production.

In the broader context of the case, U.S. litigation in the late 1990s over PFAS contamination uncovered internal 3M documents showing elevated PFAS levels in workers’ blood and potential cancer risks. Former U.S. plaintiffs’ counsel Rob Bilott has described decades of animal studies showing toxicity in multiple species and said those findings informed the ongoing scrutiny of PFAS products. A number of Swansea residents and former employees, who asked to remain anonymous, have linked health problems in their families to exposure, including cancers reported among relatives of workers who spent years handling foam without protective measures.

The BBC’s reporting also details a 2006 incident in which a storm caused the site’s containment pond for the firefighting foam to overflow. The resulting foam mixed with rainwater and contaminated an on-site aeration pond and a nearby watercourse, the Afon Lliw. The health and safety manager at the time said the incident created a large foam plume that extended off-site, and it was only after the event that 3M was told the foam contained PFOS. Regulators warned at the time that this spill violated water regulations, though authorities did not pursue prosecution. Subsequent planning documents indicate the pond later filled again and contained very high PFOS levels, prompting additional remediation efforts.

By 2023, the land contamination assessment showed ongoing concerns. The pond and surrounding soil have since undergone remediation, and 3M says it has remediated PFOS- and PFAS-related contamination and is committed to continued work with communities. It notes that PFOS and PFOA have been permanently discontinued and that the company plans to invest about $1 billion globally in state-of-the-art water treatment technologies at sites where PFAS were historically manufactured. The Swansea site’s redevelopment is part of a broader approach to address legacy contamination while pursuing site repurposing. 3M also emphasizes that safeguarding the health of its employees, their families, and local communities remains a central priority, and it points to ongoing remediation and community engagement efforts as part of that commitment.

The investigation and the plant’s closure raise questions about the long-term legacy of PFAS at industrial sites and the adequacy of historical risk communication to workers. It also underscores the broader environmental and public health dimensions of PFAS contamination, including its persistence in soils and waterways and the ongoing costs of remediation and monitoring as communities and regulators continue to assess the full impact of decades of firefighting foam use. 3M says remediation work continues and that its actions align with commitments to environmental stewardship and community safety, as well as to reducing PFAS exposure across its operations.