3/23/07, 5:29 pm EST

Assignment Ten Finalist: Pratik Ray on 3M

Note: This is not an official Rolling Stone article. What follows is a submission to the “I’m From Rolling Stone” writing competition.

3M

by Pratik Ray
Age: 18

The wide-set red ‘3M’ logo is an easily recognizable image in the neighborhoods of Cottage Grove and Woodbury, Minnesota. It is one of the foremost employers of the neighborhoods, and a major global manufacturer of adhesives and healthcare products. Yet, after the recent findings of perfluorochemicals in Cottage Grove’s drinking water, 3M, a company with worldwide sales of over $22.9 million, is still struggling to overcome the media hype and inflation of the situation.

Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are used in the making of products like nonstick pans and stain-resistant carpeting. In late 2006, PFC sludge and wastes from the 3M Cottage Grove facility were disposed of and became part of a waste pit in Lake Elmo and Oakdale, Minnesota.

After environmental testing by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), it was shown that the groundwater beneath the 3M Cottage Grove site was contaminated with various PFCs. In some areas, the levels of PFCs exceeded the MDH’s criteria for drinking water. After testing the drinking water of four residential wells near the facility, however, MDH did not find any other chemical contamination.

Despite this adversity, 3M has quickly become active about helping communities that may have been affected. They recently donated several acres of land and roughly $3.3 million to the City of Lake Elmo in order for Lake Elmo to extend its municipal water service to other neighborhoods. The company also submitted a groundwater monitoring plan as of February 2007. This will expand a groundwater sampling program, the installation of monitoring wells and the assessment of a new waste containment site.

3M’s strides for a more eco-friendly industrial world are admirable. Once again, this Minnesota-based company has become a pioneer; this time in the global pursuit of a cleaner, greener future.