![]() The company stopped using some kinds in 2002, but has since made others. 3M also sold its PFAS to other companies to make Teflon, outdoor gear, greaseproof food papers and firefighting foams. 3M’s factory had been churning out some varieties since the 1950s for the water- and stain-repellant Scotchgard. ![]() He had known for years that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (or PFAS, pronounced “PEE-fas”), which don’t occur in nature, lingered in the water around Cottage Grove. “I had a sinking feeling in my stomach,” Bailey recalled. It said there was no emergency, but stricter limits would better protect infants and young children. And Cottage Grove’s would exceed the new threshold. It was about to set a new, lower level for a type of unregulated chemical found in Minnesota’s drinking water. It was May 22, 2017, and the state health department wanted to give Bailey a heads-up. Behind him, the city’s administrator kept stepping away to take phone calls. ![]() A screen flashed the iconic red logo of the town’s most famous corporate resident, 3M Co., whose 1,750-acre factory sits along the banks of the Mississippi River. Cottage Grove is the place,” proclaimed a banner in his booth. When Cottage Grove, Minnesota’s drinking-water panic began, Mayor Myron Bailey was at a conference in Las Vegas trying to lure new business to town.
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