美国跨国公司3M（MMM.N）计划在澳大利亚针对该公司在灭火泡沫中使用PFAS“永久化学品”导致污染所提起的具有里程碑意义的案件中主张该诉讼在法律上存在缺陷，此事在周五的庭审中被提及。
US conglomerate 3M (MMM.N) plans to argue a landmark case brought by Australia over contamination from the company's use of PFAS "forever chemicals" in its firefighting foam is legally flawed, a court heard on Friday.
针对总部位于明尼苏达州的化工制造商及其当地分部的诉讼是澳大利亚曾经提起的规模最大的诉讼，要求赔偿超过20亿澳元（13.8亿美元），以覆盖其产品在28个军事基地使用所导致的过去和未来的污染成本。
The claim against the Minnesota-based chemicals maker and its local unit is the largest ever brought by Australia, and seeks more than A$2 billion ($1.38 billion) in damages for past and future costs of contamination across 28 military bases where 3M's products were used.
澳大利亚的指控是，3M知道或应当知道其生产和供应的泡沫可能对环境造成损害并危害人员健康，但未能向政府发出警告。
Australia's case is that 3M knew or ought to have known the foam it made and supplied could damage the environment and harm people, but it failed to warn the government.
该泡沫的污染干扰了人们在军事基地周边使用和享受水域和土地的能力，澳大利亚政府称这构成了根据澳大利亚法律应予赔偿的“公共妨害”。
The foam's pollution interfered with people's ability to use and enjoy the water and land around the bases, creating what the government says amounted to a "public nuisance" under Australian law for which 3M should pay compensation.
“根据澳大利亚的权威，原告所主张的案件不构成公共妨害，”3M的大律师菲利普·所罗门在周五该诉讼的首次案件管理听证会上表示。
"On Australian authority, the pleaded case does not comprise public nuisance," 3M's barrister Philip Solomon said at the first case management hearing for the lawsuit on Friday.
“针对我们的指控称，我们作为被告，具有消除妨害的手段，我们导致了妨害，我们对与妨害相关的特殊或特定损失负有责任，并且在广义上，我们具有控制妨害排放的能力，”他补充道。
"The allegation against us alleged that we, the respondents, had the means to abate the nuisance, that we caused the nuisance, that were responsible for the particular or the special loss associated with the nuisance, and that in a broad sense, we had the ability to control the discharge of the nuisance," he added.
“我们将在若干页中阐述为何原告所主张的公共妨害不成立。”在其预计于12月11日提交的答辩状中，3M还计划质疑澳大利亚案件的另一部分——即该公司通过对泡沫特性和安全性作出误导性宣传而违反消费者保护法——是否因所谓行为发生在数十年前而已超过诉讼时效，所罗门说道。
"We will in a number of pages set out why public nuisance as pleaded is not available." In its defence, expected to be filed on December 11, 3M also plans to question whether another part of Australia's case — that the company breached consumer protection laws by making misleading claims about the foam's features and safety — was time-barred because the alleged conduct occurred decades ago, Solomon said.
PFAS是一类广泛用于耐热、防污、防油和防水产品的人造化学品群。
PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals that are widely used in products resistant to heat, stains, grease and water.
研究将PFAS暴露与肝损伤、出生体重降低和睾丸癌等健康问题联系起来。
Research has linked exposure to PFAS to health issues including liver damage, lower birth weight and testicular cancer.
面对数千起涉嫌PFAS污染的诉讼的3M公司，在1966年至2003年期间向澳大利亚销售了消防泡沫。
3M, which has faced thousands of lawsuits over alleged PFAS contamination, sold the firefighting foam in Australia from 1966 to 2003.
澳大利亚在处理军事基地受污染影响方面花费了13亿澳元，其中包括向受影响社区支付4.08亿澳元的法律和解费用。
Australia has spent A$1.3 billion in dealing with the impacts of the contamination on the bases, including paying A$408 million in legal settlements to affected communities.
国防部还处理或清除了超过20万吨受污染土壤，并处理了超过130亿升的水。此案将于12月重新开庭审理。
The defence department has also treated or removed more than 200,000 metric tons of contaminated soil and treated more than 13 billion litres of water. The case will return to court in December.