3M says chemical in water harmless

By Bob Shaw
The St. Paul Pioneer Press

WOODBURY, MN - 3M Co. has a message for Washington and Dakota counties: Stop worrying about your water.

The most extensive tests undertaken on a chemical recently found in drinking water in those areas show that trace amounts are harmless to humans, company officials said Tuesday.

"This reassures me tremendously," said Dr. Larry Zobel, 3M's corporate medical director.

The tests examined the effect of PFBA, or perfluorobutanoic acid, a chemical used to make photographic film that is believed to have leaked into groundwater from sites in Woodbury and Lake Elmo....Read more.