| Commitments and Contingencies | Commitments and Contingencies Legal Proceedings: The Company and some of its subsidiaries are involved in numerous claims and lawsuits, principally in the United States, and regulatory proceedings worldwide. These claims, lawsuits and proceedings include, but are not limited to, products liability (involving products that the Company now or formerly manufactured and sold), intellectual property, commercial, antitrust, federal healthcare program related laws and regulations, such as the False Claims Act and anti-kickback laws, securities, and environmental laws in the United States and other jurisdictions. Unless otherwise stated, the Company is vigorously defending all such litigation and proceedings. From time to time, the Company also receives subpoenas, investigative demands or requests for information from various government agencies. The Company generally responds in a cooperative, thorough and timely manner. These responses sometimes require time and effort and can result in considerable costs being incurred by the Company. Such requests can also lead to the assertion of claims or the commencement of administrative, civil or criminal legal proceedings against the Company and others, as well as to settlements. The outcomes of legal proceedings and regulatory matters are often difficult to predict. Any determination that the Company’s operations or activities are not, or were not, in compliance with applicable laws or regulations could result in the imposition of fines, civil or criminal penalties, and equitable remedies, including disgorgement, suspension or debarment or injunctive relief. Additional information about the Company’s process for disclosure and recording of liabilities and insurance receivables related to legal proceedings can be found in Note 16 “Commitments and Contingencies” to the Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. The following sections first describe the significant legal proceedings in which the Company is involved, and then describe the liabilities and associated insurance receivables the Company has accrued relating to its significant legal proceedings. Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation As of March 31, 2022, the Company is a named defendant, with multiple co-defendants, in numerous lawsuits in various courts that purport to represent approximately 4,012 individual claimants, compared to approximately 3,876 individual claimants with actions pending December 31, 2021. The vast majority of the lawsuits and claims resolved by and currently pending against the Company allege use of some of the Company’s mask and respirator products and seek damages from the Company and other defendants for alleged personal injury from workplace exposures to asbestos, silica, coal mine dust or other occupational dusts found in products manufactured by other defendants or generally in the workplace. A minority of the lawsuits and claims resolved by and currently pending against the Company generally allege personal injury from occupational exposure to asbestos from products previously manufactured by the Company, which are often unspecified, as well as products manufactured by other defendants, or occasionally at Company premises. The Company’s current volume of new and pending matters is substantially lower than it experienced at the peak of filings in 2003. The Company expects that filing of claims by unimpaired claimants in the future will continue to be at much lower levels than in the past. Accordingly, the number of claims alleging more serious injuries, including mesothelioma, other malignancies, and black lung disease, will represent a greater percentage of total claims than in the past. Over the past twenty The Company has demonstrated in these past trial proceedings that its respiratory protection products are effective as claimed when used in the intended manner and in the intended circumstances. Consequently, the Company believes that claimants are unable to establish that their medical conditions, even if significant, are attributable to the Company’s respiratory protection products. Nonetheless, the Company’s litigation experience indicates that claims of persons alleging more serious injuries, including mesothelioma, other malignancies, and black lung disease, are costlier to resolve than the claims of unimpaired persons, and it therefore believes the average cost of resolving pending and future claims on a per-claim basis will continue to be higher than it experienced in prior periods when the vast majority of claims were asserted by medically unimpaired claimants. Since the second half of 2020, the Company has experienced an increase in the number of cases filed that allege injuries from exposures to coal mine dust; that increase represents the substantial majority of the growth in case numbers referred to above. As previously reported, the State of West Virginia, through its Attorney General, filed a complaint in 2003 against the Company and two other manufacturers of respiratory protection products in the Circuit Court of Lincoln County, West Virginia, and amended its complaint in 2005. The amended complaint seeks substantial, but unspecified, compensatory damages primarily for reimbursement of the costs allegedly incurred by the State for worker’s compensation and healthcare benefits provided to all workers with occupational pneumoconiosis and unspecified punitive damages. In October 2019, the court granted the State’s motion to sever its unfair trade practices claim. In January 2020, the manufacturers filed a petition with the West Virginia Supreme Court, challenging the trial court’s rulings; that petition was denied in November 2020. Trial for the unfair trade practices claims has been set for August 2022. No liability has been recorded for this matter because the Company believes that liability is not probable and reasonably estimable at this time. In addition, the Company is not able to estimate a possible loss or range of loss given the lack of any meaningful discovery responses by the State of West Virginia, the otherwise minimal activity in this case, and the assertions of claims against two other manufacturers where a defendant’s share of liability may turn on the law of joint and several liability and by the amount of fault, if any, a jury may allocate to each defendant if the case were ultimately tried. Respirator Mask/Asbestos Liabilities and Insurance Receivables The Company regularly conducts a comprehensive legal review of its respirator mask/asbestos liabilities. The Company reviews recent and historical claims data, including without limitation, (i) the number of pending claims filed against the Company, (ii) the nature and mix of those claims (i.e., the proportion of claims asserting usage of the Company’s mask or respirator products and alleging exposure to each of asbestos, silica, coal or other occupational dusts, and claims pleading use of asbestos-containing products allegedly manufactured by the Company), (iii) the costs to defend and resolve pending claims, and (iv) trends in filing rates and in costs to defend and resolve claims, (collectively, the “Claims Data”). As part of its comprehensive legal review, the Company regularly provides the Claims Data to a third party with expertise in determining the impact of Claims Data on future filing trends and costs. The third party assists the Company in estimating the costs to defend and resolve pending and future claims. The Company uses these estimates to develop its best estimate of probable liability. Developments may occur that could affect the Company’s estimate of its liabilities. These developments include, but are not limited to, significant changes in (i) the key assumptions underlying the Company’s accrual, including, the number of future claims, the nature and mix of those claims, the average cost of defending and resolving claims, and in maintaining trial readiness (ii) trial and appellate outcomes, (iii) the law and procedure applicable to these claims, and (iv) the financial viability of other co-defendants and insurers. As a result of its review of its respirator mask/asbestos liabilities, of pending and expected lawsuits and of the cost of resolving claims of persons who claim more serious injuries, including mesothelioma, other malignancies, and black lung disease, the Company increased its accruals in the first three months of 2022 for respirator mask/asbestos liabilities by $14 million. In the first three months of 2022, the Company made payments for legal defense costs and settlements of $28 million related to the respirator mask/asbestos litigation. As of March 31, 2022, the Company had an accrual for respirator mask/asbestos liabilities (excluding Aearo accruals) of $626 million. This accrual represents the Company’s best estimate of probable loss and reflects an estimation period for future claims that may be filed against the Company approaching the year 2050. The Company cannot estimate the amount or upper end of the range of amounts by which the liability may exceed the accrual the Company has established because of the (i) inherent difficulty in projecting the number of claims that have not yet been asserted or the time period in which future claims may be asserted, (ii) the complaints nearly always assert claims against multiple defendants where the damages alleged are typically not attributed to individual defendants so that a defendant’s share of liability may turn on the law of joint and several liability, which can vary by state, (iii) the multiple factors described above that the Company considers in estimating its liabilities, and (iv) the several possible developments described above that may occur that could affect the Company’s estimate of liabilities. As of March 31, 2022, the Company’s receivable for insurance recoveries related to the respirator mask/asbestos litigation was $4 million. The Company continues to seek coverage under the policies of certain insolvent and other insurers. Once those claims for coverage are resolved, the Company will have collected substantially all of its remaining insurance coverage for respirator mask/asbestos claims. Respirator Mask/Asbestos Litigation — Aearo Technologies On April 1, 2008, a subsidiary of the Company acquired the stock of Aearo Holding Corp., the parent of Aearo Technologies (“Aearo”). Aearo manufactured and sold various products, including personal protection equipment, such as eye, ear, head, face, fall and certain respiratory protection products. As of March 31, 2022, Aearo and/or other companies that previously owned and operated Aearo’s respirator business (American Optical Corporation, Warner-Lambert LLC, AO Corp. and Cabot Corporation (“Cabot”)) are named defendants, with multiple co-defendants, including the Company, in numerous lawsuits in various courts in which plaintiffs allege use of mask and respirator products and seek damages from Aearo and other defendants for alleged personal injury from workplace exposures to asbestos, silica-related, coal mine dust, or other occupational dusts found in products manufactured by other defendants or generally in the workplace. As of March 31, 2022, the Company, through its Aearo subsidiary, had accruals of $41 million for product liabilities and defense costs related to current and future Aearo-related asbestos, silica-related and coal mine dust claims. This accrual represents the Company’s best estimate of Aearo’s probable loss and reflects an estimation period for future claims that may be filed against Aearo approaching the year 2050. The accrual reflects the Company’s assessment of pending and expected lawsuits, its review of its respirator mask/asbestos liabilities, and the cost of resolving claims of persons who claim more serious injuries. Responsibility for legal costs, as well as for settlements and judgments, is currently shared in an informal arrangement among Aearo, Cabot, American Optical Corporation and a subsidiary of Warner Lambert and their respective insurers (the “Payor Group”). Liability is allocated among the parties based on the number of years each company sold respiratory products under the “AO Safety” brand and/or owned the AO Safety Division of American Optical Corporation and the alleged years of exposure of the individual plaintiff. Aearo’s share of the contingent liability is further limited by an agreement entered into between Aearo and Cabot on July 11, 1995. This agreement provides that, so long as Aearo pays to Cabot a quarterly fee of $100,000, Cabot will retain responsibility and liability for, and indemnify Aearo against, any product liability claims involving exposure to asbestos, silica, or silica products for respirators sold prior to July 11, 1995. Because of the difficulty in determining how long a particular respirator remains in the stream of commerce after being sold, Aearo and Cabot have applied the agreement to claims arising out of the alleged use of respirators involving exposure to asbestos, silica or silica products prior to January 1, 1997. With these arrangements in place, Aearo’s potential liability is limited to exposures alleged to have arisen from the use of respirators involving exposure to asbestos, silica, or silica products on or after January 1, 1997. To date, Aearo has elected to pay the quarterly fee. Aearo could potentially be exposed to additional claims for some part of the pre-July 11, 1995 period covered by its agreement with Cabot if Aearo elects to discontinue its participation in this arrangement, or if Cabot is no longer able to meet its obligations in these matters. Developments may occur that could affect the estimate of Aearo’s liabilities. These developments include, but are not limited to: (i) significant changes in the number of future claims, (ii) significant changes in the average cost of resolving claims, (iii) significant changes in the legal costs of defending these claims, (iv) significant changes in the mix and nature of claims received, (v) trial and appellate outcomes, (vi) significant changes in the law and procedure applicable to these claims, (vii) significant changes in the liability allocation among the co-defendants, (viii) the financial viability of members of the Payor Group including exhaustion of available insurance coverage limits, and/or (ix) a determination that the interpretation of the contractual obligations on which Aearo has estimated its share of liability is inaccurate. The Company cannot determine the impact of these potential developments on its current estimate of Aearo’s share of liability for these existing and future claims. If any of the developments described above were to occur, the actual amount of these liabilities for existing and future claims could be significantly larger than the amount accrued. Because of the inherent difficulty in projecting the number of claims that have not yet been asserted, the complexity of allocating responsibility for future claims among the Payor Group, and the several possible developments that may occur that could affect the estimate of Aearo’s liabilities, the Company cannot estimate the amount or range of amounts by which Aearo’s liability may exceed the accrual the Company has established. Environmental Matters and Litigation The Company’s operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations including those pertaining to air emissions, wastewater discharges, toxic substances, and the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes enforceable by national, state, and local authorities around the world, and private parties in the United States and abroad. These laws and regulations provide, under certain circumstances, a basis for the remediation of contamination, for capital investment in pollution control equipment, for restoration of or compensation for damages to natural resources, and for personal injury and property damage claims. The Company has incurred, and will continue to incur, costs and capital expenditures in complying with these laws and regulations, defending personal injury and property damage claims, and modifying its business operations in light of its environmental responsibilities. In its effort to satisfy its environmental responsibilities and comply with environmental laws and regulations, the Company has established, and periodically updates, policies relating to environmental standards of performance for its operations worldwide. Under certain environmental laws, including the United States Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) and similar state laws, the Company may be jointly and severally liable, typically with other companies, for the costs of remediation of environmental contamination at current or former facilities and at off-site locations. The Company has identified numerous locations, most of which are in the United States, at which it may have some liability. Please refer to the section entitled “ Environmental Liabilities and Insurance Receivables” that follows for information on the amount of the accrual for such liabilities. Environmental Matters As previously reported, the Company has been voluntarily cooperating with ongoing reviews by local, state, federal (primarily the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)), and international agencies of possible environmental and health effects of various perfluorinated compounds, including perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), or other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (collectively PFAS). As a result of its phase-out decision in May 2000, the Company no longer manufactures certain PFAS compounds including PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, and their pre-cursor compounds. The Company ceased manufacturing and using the vast majority of these compounds within approximately two years of the phase-out announcement and ceased all manufacturing and the last significant use of this chemistry by the end of 2008. The Company continues to manufacture a variety of shorter chain length PFAS compounds, including, but not limited to, pre-cursor compounds to perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS). These compounds are used as input materials to a variety of products, including engineered fluorinated fluids, fluoropolymers and fluorelastomers, as well as surfactants, additives, and coatings. Through its ongoing life cycle management and its raw material composition identification processes associated with the Company’s policies covering the use of all persistent and bio-accumulative materials, the Company continues to review, control or eliminate the presence of certain PFAS in purchased materials or as byproducts in some of 3M’s current fluorochemical manufacturing processes, products, and waste streams. PFAS Regulatory Activity Regulatory activities concerning PFAS continue in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, and before certain international bodies. These activities include gathering of exposure and use information, risk assessment, and consideration of regulatory approaches. In the European Union, where 3M has manufacturing facilities in countries such as Germany and Belgium, recent regulatory activities have included both preliminary and on-going work on various restrictions under the Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), including the restriction of PFAS in certain usages and a broader restriction of PFAS as a class. As of the second half of 2020, PFOA is subject to broad restrictions under the EU’s Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Regulation. Dyneon, a 3M subsidiary that operates a facility at Gendorf, Germany, has a recycling process for a critical emulsifier from which small amounts of PFOA are present after recycling, as an unintended and unavoidable byproduct of certain earlier process steps. The recycling process removes and concentrates the PFOA for incineration in accordance with applicable waste law. With respect to the applicability of the recently enacted POPs, Dyneon proactively consulted with the relevant German regulatory authority regarding process improvements underway that are designed to ensure compliance with the PFOA limits in the recycled material. In October 2021, Dyneon also discussed with the authority technical complexities it had recently discovered in achieving PFOA reductions. The engagement is ongoing. In addition, as previously disclosed, 3M Belgium, a subsidiary of the Company, has been working with the Public Flemish Waste Agency (OVAM) for several years to investigate and remediate historical PFOA contaminations at and near the 3M Belgium facility in Zwijndrecht, Antwerp, Belgium. In connection with a ring road construction project (the Oosterweel Project) in Antwerp that has involved extensive soil work, an investigative committee with judicial investigatory powers was formed in June 2021 by the Flemish Parliament to investigate PFAS found in the soil and groundwater near the Zwijndrecht facility. The Company testified at Flemish parliamentary committee hearings in June and September 2021 on PFAS-related matters. The Flemish Parliament, the Minister of the Environment, and regulatory authorities have initiated investigations and demands for information related to the release of PFAS from the Zwijndrecht facility. The Company is cooperating with the authorities in the investigations and information requests. Separately, as previously disclosed, the Company is aware that certain residents of Zwijndrecht have filed a criminal complaint with an Antwerp investigatory judge against 3M Belgium, alleging it had unlawfully abandoned waste in violation of its environmental care obligations. 3M Belgium has not been served with any such complaint. Safety measures – wastewater discharge. In August 2021, the Flemish Government served 3M Belgium with a notice of intent to impose a safety measure (wastewater discharge stoppage) and issued an infraction report alleging permit and/or legal violations in connection with the discharge of certain specific PFAS compounds for alleged lack of specific authorization. Following discussions with the government officials, 3M Belgium implemented a focused safety measure that would allow continued production activities and plans to contest through appeal the underlying legal and factual basis for the safety measure. Separately, the permitting authority has initiated a process to tighten the wastewater discharge limits immediately. In October 2021, the Province of Antwerp adopted lower discharge limits for the nine PFAS compounds specifically identified in the water discharge permit and added a special condition that essentially prohibits discharge of any PFAS chemistry without a specific limit in the permit. The action by the Province was timely appealed and a hearing on the appeal was held in January 2022. The Flemish Regional Environmental Permit Commission subsequently issued a recommendation that the appeal be denied and that lower limits on PFAS compounds be imposed immediately. In March 2022, the Flemish Minister of the Environment issued an order denying 3M Belgium’s appeal of the discharge permit modification, and a subsequent request for emergency suspension of the permit modification was also denied. 3M Belgium is complying with the modified discharge permit and is engaging in discussions with enforcement authorities to reconcile the new permit modification with certain pre-existing Flemish government environmental orders that require PFAS treatment. Certain non-PFAS manufacturing operations continue under enforcement discretion. The current wastewater discharge permit is scheduled to expire at the end of June 2022; 3M Belgium has applied for renewal and is in discussions with the authority regarding the applicability of the modified discharge limits and other terms in a new permit. The adverse ruling on the appeal restricts the discharge of wastewater under the special condition noted above, which has resulted in continued idling of certain processes that materially and adversely impacts the facility’s operations, and further enforcement could cause further disruption to operations at the facility, including the possibility of causing the facility to cease operations. While the Company is exploring multiple options to mitigate the impact of the adverse ruling, a prolonged suspension or interruption of the facility's operations, or unfavorable terms upon renewal of the current discharge permit, could have a significant adverse impact on the Company's businesses that receive products and other materials from the facility, some of which may not be available in similar quantities from other 3M facilities, which could in turn impact these businesses’ ability to fulfill supply obligations to their customers. Safety measure – air emissions. As previously disclosed, in October 2021, the Flemish environmental agency issued a new safety measure that prohibits all emissions of all forms of PFAS from the facility unless and until specifically approved on a process-by-process basis. 3M Belgium thereupon commenced an immediate appeal process to the Council of States, seeking, among other things, urgent suspension of the safety measure during the pendency of the appeal process. At the same time, 3M Belgium initiated efforts to comply with the safety measure by temporarily idling the affected production at the facility. The Council of States declined to grant urgent suspension of the safety measure. An unsuccessful appeal of the safety measure would extend the period the affected production is idled and could have a material negative impact on the Zwijndrecht facility’s operations. 3M Belgium has established a regular cadence of meetings with the relevant authorities in connection with the requests to restart specific production processes that may result in emissions to air. The authorities have accepted the third-party experts proposed by 3M Belgium who are required by the safety measure to review and opine on proposals necessary for restarting processes in accordance with the safety measure's limitations on emissions to air. Although some requests have been approved for testing purposes, and the facility is taking actions to remedy emission issues, a prolonged suspension and idling of the facility's operations could have a significant adverse impact on the Company's businesses that receive products and other materials from the facility, some of which may not be available in similar quantities from other 3M facilities, which could in turn impact these businesses’ ability to fulfill supply obligations to their customers. Administrative measure – soil piles. In September 2021, the Flemish Government served 3M Belgium with a notice of intent to impose an administrative measure related to the removal and potential remediation of soil piles on the Zwijndrecht site. Although 3M Belgium has been in discussions with the relevant authorities, removal and remediation of the soil piles has not been possible in the timeframe specified in the administrative measure, which may lead to the imposition of administrative fines. Notice of default – environmental law compliance. Also in September 2021, the Flemish Region issued a notice of default alleging violations of environmental laws and seeking PFAS-related information, indemnity and a remediation plan for soil and water impacts due to PFAS originating from the Zwijndrecht facility. In September 2021, 3M responded to the notice of default and announced a plan to invest up to 125 million euros in the next three years in actions related to the Zwijndrecht community, including support for local commercial farmers impacted by restrictions on sale of agricultural products, and enhancements to site discharge control technologies. 3M is also committed to payment for ongoing off-site descriptive soil investigation and appropriate soil remediation. In March 2022, the Company announced an investment of 150 million euros to advance remedial actions to address legacy PFAS previously produced at the Zwijndrecht facility. An accredited third-party soil remediation expert has recently progressed towards a remedial action plan based on a descriptive soil investigation that would help inform 3M Belgium’s remedial actions onsite and in certain surrounding areas. 3M Belgium representatives continue to have discussions with the relevant authorities regarding further remedial actions. In the United States, the EPA has developed human health effects documents summarizing the available data studies of both PFOA and PFOS. In May 2016, the EPA announced lifetime health advisory levels for PFOA and PFOS at 70 parts per trillion (ppt) (superseding the provisional levels established by the EPA in 2009 of 400 ppt for PFOA and 200 ppt for PFOS). Where PFOA and PFOS are found together, EPA’s lifetime health advisory for PFOA and PFOS combined is also 70 ppt. Lifetime health advisories, which are non-enforceable and non-regulatory, provide information about concentrations of drinking water contaminants at which adverse health effects are not expected to occur over the specified exposure duration. The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) within the Department of Health and Human Services released a draft Toxicological Profile for PFAS for public review and comment in June 2018. In the draft report, ATSDR proposed draft minimal risk levels (MRLs) for PFOS, PFOA and several other PFAS. An MRL is an estimate of the daily human exposure to a hazardous substance that is likely to be without appreciable risk of adverse non-cancer health effects over a specified duration of exposure. MRLs establish a screening level and are not intended to define cleanup or action levels for ATSDR or other agencies. In May 2021, ATSDR released a final toxicological profile for certain PFAS that preserved the draft MRLs. Earlier, in April 2021, EPA released a final toxicity assessment for PFBS. As periodically required under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), the EPA published in May 2012 a list of unregulated substances, including six PFAS chemicals, required to be monitored during the period 2013-2015 by public water system suppliers to determine the extent of their occurrence. Through January 2017, the EPA reported results for 4,920 public water supplies nationwide. Based on the 2016 lifetime health advisory, 13 public water supplies exceeded the level for PFOA and 46 exceeded the level for PFOS (unchanged from the July 2016 EPA summary). These results are based on one or more samples collected during the period 2012-2015 and do not necessarily reflect current conditions of these public water supplies. EPA reporting does not identify the sources of the PFOA and PFOS in the public water supplies. In December 2021, EPA published the fifth version of the unregulated contaminant monitoring rule, which requires monitoring for 29 PFAS compounds between 2023 and 2025. With respect to PFOA and PFOS in groundwater, EPA issued interim recommendations in December 2019, providing guidance for screening levels and preliminary remediation goals for groundwater that is a current or potential drinking water source, to inform final clean-up levels of contaminated sites. In October 2021, EPA released its “PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA's Commitments to Action 2021-2024,” which presents EPA’s approach to PFAS, including investing in research to increase an understanding of PFAS, pursuing a comprehensive approach to proactively control PFAS exposures to humans and the environment, and broadening and accelerating the scope of clean-up of PFAS in the environment. The 2021-2024 Roadmap sets timelines by which EPA plans to take specific actions, including, among other items, publishing a national PFAS testing strategy, proposing to designate PFOA and PFOS as CERCLA hazardous substances, restricting PFAS discharges from industrial sources through Effluent Limitations Guidelines, publishing the final toxicity assessment for five additional PFAS compounds, requiring water systems to test for 29 PFAS compounds under the SDWA, and publishing improved analytical methods in eight different environmental matrices to monitor 40 PFAS compounds present in wastewater and stormwater discharges. EPA previously published its intention to initiate a process to develop a national primary drinking water regulation for PFOA and PFOS; the process is expected to take several years and will include further analyses, scientific review and opportunities for public comment. EPA initiated the first step in the process i |
