阿拉巴馬州的協(xié)議涵蓋了3M在迪凱特的工廠和其它工廠，主要在該州的西北部，還有一些尚未被確認(rèn)。

The Alabama agreement covers 3M’s Decatur plant as well as other sites, some not yet identified, in the northwest part of the state.

3M在一份聲明中表示，該公司將“十分堅(jiān)定地”履行和解協(xié)議中涉及的義務(wù)。

3M said in a statement it was “fully committed” to fulfilling the consent decree obligations.

和解協(xié)議上沒有注明具體價(jià)格。阿拉巴馬州環(huán)境管理部門的發(fā)言人Lynn Battle表示，現(xiàn)在確定垃圾場(chǎng)和田納西河的損失還為時(shí)過(guò)早。

There is not a price tag attached to the consent decree. Lynn Battle, spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, said it is too soon to determine the cost of the damage in dump sites and in the Tennessee River.

“它保護(hù)了公眾免受過(guò)去和未來(lái)的污染，使阿拉巴馬州在監(jiān)管這些有害化合物方面走在了前面，”環(huán)境管理部門主任蘭斯·勒弗勒(Lance LeFleur)在一份聲明中說(shuō)。

“It protects the public from both past and future contaminations, and puts Alabama ahead of the game in regulating these harmful compounds,” Lance LeFleur, director of the environmental management department, said in a statement.

另外，3M公司已經(jīng)同意支付3500萬(wàn)美元與阿拉巴馬州的水務(wù)局達(dá)成和解。

Separately, 3M already has agreed to a $35 million settlement with a water authority in Alabama.

在周五的和解協(xié)議中，3M同意確定PFAS的濃度，并采取補(bǔ)救措施。措施包括使用專門的水和空氣控制設(shè)備，以減少它們?cè)趪?guó)家和環(huán)境保護(hù)署不允許的的地點(diǎn)存在。此外，3M同意進(jìn)行更多研究，以確定PFAS的健康風(fēng)險(xiǎn)和影響，并制定防止它們擴(kuò)散的最佳做法。

In the Friday consent decree, 3M agreed to both determine PFAS levels and then take remedial steps, including using specialized water and air control equipment, to reduce their presence at sites identified by the state and the EPA. In addition, the company has agreed to do more research to determine the health risks and effects of PFAS and develop best practices for containing them.

去年，3M公司主動(dòng)向監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)承認(rèn)，其迪凱特工廠向田納西河非法排放了全氟化學(xué)品，而田納西河是數(shù)十萬(wàn)人的飲用水來(lái)源。

3M last year voluntarily acknowledged to regulators that its Decatur plant illegally released a perfluorinated chemical into the Tennessee River, which supplies drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people.

LeFleur說(shuō)，和解協(xié)議的臨時(shí)性意味著：雖然治理活動(dòng)將立即執(zhí)行，但這不是處理的最終結(jié)果。政府可以根據(jù)收集的數(shù)據(jù)對(duì)3M提出新增的要求。

LeFleur said the interim nature of the consent order means that, while it is enforceable immediately, “it is not the end of the process.” Additional requirements can be placed on 3M based on the data collected.

LeFleur表示，3M將承擔(dān)與該法令相關(guān)的評(píng)估、補(bǔ)救行動(dòng)和和解協(xié)議中相關(guān)研究的所有費(fèi)用，包括阿拉巴馬州監(jiān)督3M行動(dòng)所產(chǎn)生的任何費(fèi)用。

3M will assume all the costs of the assessments, remedial actions and research associated with the consent order, LeFleur said, including any costs incurred by Alabama in overseeing 3M’s action.

3M公司迪凱特工廠經(jīng)理米歇爾?豪威爾在聲明中表示:“3M公司加入迪凱特社區(qū)已經(jīng)近60年，公司重視自己作為好鄰居和環(huán)境管理者的角色。在過(guò)去的12個(gè)月里，我們已經(jīng)確定了可以做得更多、更好的領(lǐng)域。我們決心在今后的行動(dòng)中盡自己的一份力量?！?/span>

“3M takes pride in being part of the Decatur community for nearly 60 years, and the company values its role as a good neighbor and steward of the environment,” Michelle Howell, 3M Decatur plant manager, said in the statement. “During the last 12 months, we have identified areas where we can do more and better, and we’re committed to doing our part in our operations moving forward.”

PFAS化學(xué)物質(zhì)以其防水和耐熱性能而聞名，已廣泛應(yīng)用于工業(yè)領(lǐng)域（最著名的的鐵氟龍）和食品包裝、睫毛膏等產(chǎn)品中。衛(wèi)生官員說(shuō)，幾乎在美國(guó)每個(gè)人的血液中都能發(fā)現(xiàn)低濃度的PFAS，在世界各地的人和動(dòng)物體內(nèi)也都存在。

PFAS chemicals, known for their water- and heat-resistant properties, have been widely used by industry — most famously in Teflon — and are in products ranging from food packaging to mascara. Health officials said PFAS can be found at low levels in the blood of virtually everyone in the United States and in people and animals across the globe.

最初，PFAS化合物與癌癥、高膽固醇、免疫缺陷、肝臟問(wèn)題和生殖問(wèn)題有關(guān)。這些危機(jī)已經(jīng)引發(fā)了多起集體訴訟，好萊塢電影《黑水》講述的是與杜邦公司相關(guān)的事情。

Earlier PFAS compounds have been linked to cancer, high cholesterol, immune deficiencies, liver problems and reproductive issues. The crisis has sparked multiple class-action lawsuits and the Hollywood movie “Dark Waters” about DuPont.

3M公司去年額外撥出2.35億美元用于法律訴訟，但一些法律專家，包括那些與幾個(gè)州的訴訟有關(guān)的專家估計(jì)，最終的費(fèi)用可能超過(guò)100億美元。

3M last year set aside an additional $235 million to cover legal claims, but some legal experts, including those associated with some of the lawsuits in several states, estimate theultimate cost could exceed $10 billion.

在越來(lái)越多的的賠償責(zé)任索賠中，3M正積極通過(guò)訴訟進(jìn)行抗辯，同時(shí)也在積極參與PFAS相關(guān)更嚴(yán)格的法規(guī)。

3M is aggressively fighting many of the increased liability claims through lawsuits — and also more stringent regulations and legislation regarding PFAS.

阿拉巴馬州的和解協(xié)議可能會(huì)讓化工行業(yè)之后針對(duì)PFAS的法規(guī)產(chǎn)生影響。3M公司同意，為滿足法令規(guī)定的條件，3M公司所做的毒性報(bào)告和研究可被美國(guó)環(huán)境保護(hù)局用于制定PFAS的國(guó)家標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

The Alabama consent order could have an effect on future regulations for the chemical industry over PFAS. 3M agreed that toxicity reports and research done to meet the conditions of the order can be used by the EPA as it develops national standards for PFAS.

政府表示，與協(xié)議相關(guān)的處罰將在之后評(píng)估，并將基于收集到的信息和3M是否在規(guī)定的時(shí)間內(nèi)履行其義務(wù)。

Penalties related to the order will be assessed in the future, the state said, and will be based on the information gathered or if 3M does not follow through with its obligations in the required time frames.

LeFleur說(shuō):“在數(shù)十年的污染之后，3M公司同意采取一切必要行動(dòng)來(lái)承擔(dān)責(zé)任，對(duì)此我們表示贊賞。”

“We appreciate the fact that 3M has agreed to take all the actions necessary to take responsibility after decades of pollution,” LeFleur said.

3M說(shuō)，它已經(jīng)在迪凱特安裝了水控制設(shè)備，并采取了其他措施，包括一項(xiàng)重大的封頂和遏制項(xiàng)目，用于管理受PFAS影響的土壤和地下水，同時(shí)安裝顆?；钚蕴肯到y(tǒng)以去除地下水中的PFAS。

3M said it has installed water-control equipment already in Decatur and taken other measures including a significant cap and containment project to manage PFAS-impacted soil and groundwater, and the installation of a granular activated carbon system to remove PFAS from groundwater.

環(huán)境管理部門總法律顧問(wèn)肖恩·西布利（Shawn Sibley）在聲明中表示，阿拉巴馬州認(rèn)為達(dá)成和解協(xié)議是進(jìn)行清理污染物保障居民安全的最快方法，而不是像在明尼蘇達(dá)州和其他州那樣提起訴訟。

Alabama felt a consent decree, rather than litigation such as in Minnesota and other states, was the fastest way to get cleanup underway and ensure safety of residents, Shawn Sibley, the environmental management department’s general counsel, said in a statement.

他說(shuō)，這樣一來(lái)，訴訟不會(huì)在法庭上花費(fèi)多年時(shí)間，同時(shí)3M公司所做的研究將有助于進(jìn)行清理工作。

That way, he said, the lawsuit would not be tied up in the courts for years and the research done will help inform the cleanup work.

“3M will pay what it takes to fix permanently whatever PFAS problems it created, in addition to the requirements for investigations and research on any effects of PFAS on public health and the environment,” LeFleur said.

3M在聲明中表示，“將致力于全面及時(shí)地履行和解協(xié)議義務(wù)，并繼續(xù)與美國(guó)環(huán)境保護(hù)署和阿拉巴馬州區(qū)合作?！痹摴菊诮⒁粋€(gè)網(wǎng)站以進(jìn)行更新。

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3M said in its statement it is “committed to full and timely implementation of the consent order obligations and remains committed to continuing to work with [Alabama], the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the community.”The company is setting up a website for updates.