24. Risks from Litigation and Claims

BASF Corporation has potential liability under the Comprehensive Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, and related state laws for investigation and cleanup at certain sites. The Lower Passaic River Study Area (LPRSA) is one such site comprising the lower 17 miles of the Passaic River in New Jersey. BASF Corporation and more than 60 other companies (collectively, the Lower Passaic River Study Area Cooperating Parties Group or CPG) agreed to complete a remedial investigation / feasibility study (RI/FS) of the LPRSA. In 2016, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) selected a final remedy for the lower eight miles of the LPRSA. A decision from USEPA on a targeted approach for the upper portion of the LPRSA was issued on September 30, 2021. BASF Corporation established a provision covering BASF’s currently estimated share of the remediation costs.

Since August 2019, BASF Corporation has been served in various U.S. federal and state lawsuits alleging property and resource damages and personal injuries from possible exposure to per- and polyflouroalkyl substances (PFAS). In December 2018, a multi-district litigation (MDL) was created to coordinate claims brought against manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) in particular, which plaintiffs allege contains toxic levels of certain PFAS compounds including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). Plaintiffs typically allege that exposure to AFFF has caused loss of use and enjoyment of property, diminished property value, remediation costs, and personal injuries including various types of cancers. The complaints name BASF as a defendant in connection with its 2009 acquisition of Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc. and the legacy Ciba/BASF Lodyne fluorochemical product lines. BASF has been named in over 1,200 suits as of January 2022 and is defending all litigation.

At this time, BASF cannot predict the outcomes of resolving these matters or what potential actions may be taken by regulatory agencies. An adverse outcome in any one or more of these matters could be material to BASF’s financial results.

Furthermore, BASF SE and its affiliated companies are defendants in or parties to a variety of legal or regulatory proceedings on a recurring basis. To our current knowledge, none of these proceedings will have a material effect on the economic situation of BASF.