The “forever chemicals” were developed then dumped by corporate giant 3M over several decades in the Twin Cities suburbs.

Former 3M scientist Kris Hansen was among the first to discover how widespread PFAS contamination in humans was in the late 1990s — and the company continually disputed her results, ultimately sidelining her from PFAS research altogether, she said.

Extensive reporting from ProPublica dug into the decades-long cover-up. Now an environmental consultant, Hansen joined MPR News Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer to tell her story and share more about her research in light of the article.