Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of human-made chemicals that do not break down over time. PFAS are sometimes called “forever chemicals” due to their extreme longevity in the environment and resistance to destruction. PFAS pollution threatens human health, the environment, and our economy.
Minnesota is a leader in reducing PFAS risks by preventing, managing, and cleaning up pollution through the goals outlined in the PFAS Blueprint. This work is essential because many PFAS are known to be hazardous to humans in extremely small amounts over time. Several specific PFAS are linked to increased risks for cancer, liver disease, immune system dysfunction, and other negative health impacts. PFAS can also negatively impact aquatic organisms and wildlife.
Sources
The risk of environmental pollution and human exposure begins when PFAS are made and persists for decades or centuries after products containing the chemicals are disposed of. PFAS may be best known for their use in certain types of non-stick cookware, stain repellants, and firefighting foam, but these chemicals have been used in thousands of products and industrial processes since the 1940s.
PFAS can enter and contaminate the environment from many sources, including old, unlined landfills and industrial waste sites. PFAS can then enter our bodies through the water we drink and the fish and other foods we eat. To address the problem of PFAS pollution in the environment, it's important to understand how PFAS move through the environment.
PFAS contamination has been caused by:
- releases to the air, which results in soil, surface water, and groundwater contamination
- releases to surface water, which results in surface water, fish, sediment and potentially groundwater contamination
- releases to soil, including during use of PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam, which results in soil, surface water, groundwater, and fish contamination
East Metro contamination
In Minnesota, PFAS contamination was first discovered in the eastern suburbs of the Twin Cities where 3M disposed of PFAS-containing waste in a manner that contaminated over 150 square miles of drinking water, surface water, and soil. In the early 2000s, this led to more than 170,000 people in 14 communities requiring emergency treatment of drinking water or alternative sources of safe drinking water. Additionally, this contamination led to significant levels of PFAS building upaccumulating in fish; tissue in the region, and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) continues to recommend that people not consume fish from several waterbodies in the region. In 2010, the Sstate of Minnesota sued 3M, which eventually resulted in a $850 million settlement to help offset the costs of providing clean drinking water and recovering damaged natural resources in the East Metro suburbs.
A global and statewide concern
PFAS pollution is found across the world and at sites in each of Minnesota’s counties. State agencies have detected PFAS in 98% of closed landfills across Minnesota and in 84% of fish in water bodies selected for monitoring. As of August 2025, 21 community water systems in Minnesota exceed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for PFAS. Only four of these community water systems are currently part of the 3M settlement.
Human health and environmental concerns
Assessing risks from PFAS exposure
The Minnesota Department of Health has conducted toxicity assessments for a number of PFAS. These assessments determine the negative health effects that could be caused from exposure to each PFAS and at what levels of exposure is health affected. MDH uses those toxicity assessments to calculate guidance values for drinking water and to develop guidance values and regulatory values for PFAS in surface water, fish, and soil. Health risk information and the MPCA's risk assessment information for soil and sediment contamination and water quality criteria are used in work to prevent and remediate PFAS contamination.
Monitoring, reporting, and regulations
The MPCA's PFAS monitoring plan lays out a path forward for PFAS monitoring at solid waste, wastewater, and stormwater facilities, hazardous waste landfills, facilities with air emissions, and sites in the Brownfield or Superfund programs.
Monitoring PFAS in fish and water
PFAS testing began in Minnesota’s lakes and streams in 2004, which has led to fish-consumption advisories due to perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) levels in fish tissue. PFOS is just one of the almost 5,000 PFAS chemicals. Continued monitoring is needed; many Minnesota lakes and streams that are potentially contaminated by PFAS have not been tested.
The Minnesota impaired waters list now includes 26 bodies of water that are impaired due to levels of PFOS. Following the Minnesota Department of Health's guidelines can help you lower exposure to PFOS and other contaminants when eating fish caught in Minnesota.
Regulations
The EPA now regulates some uses of PFAS and some manufacturers have eliminated them, but PFAS continue to be manufactured in the US and globally. PFAS are still widely used in commercial and industrial products.
Minnesota now requires that any use of class B firefighting foam containing PFAS be reported to the state. Use of PFAS-containing foam for testing and training is generally prohibited.