Report: ‘Forever chemicals’ are pervasive in Minnesota’s waterways
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A new report says so-called “forever chemicals” are contaminating rivers, lakes and streams across the U.S., including in Minnesota.
Environment America Research and Policy Center, a national advocacy and research organization, analyzed federal, state and nonprofit testing data from more than 1,600 sites across the U.S.
According to a report released by Minnesota’s chapter, the group found per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, were detected at all 91 testing sites in Minnesota’s waterways. Those included dozens of locations along the Mississippi River.
The report says once in rivers and streams, PFAS pose a risk to drinking water, fish and wildlife.
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“Minnesota's waterways should be clean and free of toxic chemicals, yet PFAS contamination of our rivers and lakes is still widespread,” said Dylan Fox-Arnold, a conservation associate with Environment Minnesota, at a press conference Wednesday in St. Cloud. “We shouldn't have to worry about tainted drinking water or catching and eating contaminated fish.”
PFAS are a large class of human-made chemicals found in a variety of consumer and industrial products, including nonstick cookware, water-resistant clothing, carpet and cosmetics.
They’re known for being extremely durable and tend to accumulate in the environment and the human body. Long-term exposure to some PFAS has been linked to negative health effects, including cancer, liver and thyroid disease and fertility problems.
PFAS enter rivers, lakes and streams in several ways, including industrial facilities or wastewater treatment plants that release the chemicals into waterways; water seeping from landfills where consumer products with PFAS often end up; and contaminated sewage sludge that’s applied to farm fields. Firefighting foam containing PFAS also polluted some Minnesota waters near airports and military bases.
“Because they are so widely used in our economy, they wind up in our waterways through an astonishing array of pathways,” Fox-Arnold said.
The report says the findings are likely the tip of the iceberg, because the data does not include all sources of PFAS testing. And many waterways haven’t been tested for PFAS.
Chemicals in the Mississippi
Some of the locations where PFAS were detected weren’t surprising, Fox-Arnold said, such as in the Mississippi River downstream from the Twin Cities.
Minnesota-based 3M manufactured some PFAS at its Cottage Grove facility for decades, beginning in the 1940s until they were discontinued in the early 2000s.
In 2018, the company agreed to pay the state of Minnesota $850 million to settle a lawsuit alleging environmental contamination in the east Twin Cities metro area. 3M stopped producing PFAS at the end of 2025.
The highest concentration of the chemicals was detected near Hastings, which is downriver from the Cottage Grove facility.
But Fox-Arnold noted that PFAS were also detected in the Mississippi upstream from 3M’s plant and at other locations across the state, including Tischer Creek, a coldwater trout stream in Duluth.
“I think the main takeaway from this report about scope and scale is that these chemicals are more pervasive than we previously thought,” he said.
Minnesota passed a law banning intentionally added PFAS in certain products starting in 2025, including cookware, dental floss, menstruation products and ski wax. A complete ban on the sale or distribution of nearly all products containing intentionally added PFAS takes effect in 2032.
Fox-Arnold said other states should follow the state's example by phasing out of the use of the chemicals.
Environment Minnesota also recommends barring industrial facilities from discharging PFAS into rivers or sending them to wastewater treatment plants, and ending the application of sewage containing PFAS on farmland.
