Workers at Wausau 3M Plant Exposed to High Amounts of PFAS in Drinking Water

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 -- 9:01 AM

(Chris Conley, WSAU) The Wisconsin Department of Natural resources ordered 3M to inform its employees at its Greystone plant in Wausau after they found the plant’s drinking water had 26 times the amount of PFAS allowed by the DNR.

According to Chris Conley with WSAU, officials from the DNR said that exposure to that much PFAS can lead to serious health issues down the road. Kyle Burton from the DNR’s Bureau of Drinking Water and Groundwater, said, “It can cause health effects related to high cholesterol, impacts on how the body reacts to vaccines, impacts for pregnant women and fetuses, as well as has been linked to some cancers.”

Burton said now that the DNR and the employees know about the contamination, they can begin to work with 3M on the next steps toward making the drinking water safer.

3M said in a statement: “The water from that well was sampled and detected levels of certain PFAS above the State’s drinking water standards. We are focusing on long-term solutions to reduce the levels coming from the well, such as a filtration system.”

3M also says they’ve been supplying water via a water cooler on site, and are asking employees to use it for safe water. The DNR and 3M are now working on a long-term solution for the drinking water, like digging another well, or adding a filtration system.

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