3M Sees Decrease in Asbestos Cases at By End 2002
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Published March 14, 2003

3M Co. (NYSE: MMM) said it was a defendant with multiple co-defendants in 45,000 
asbestos cases as of Dec. 31, 2002, representing a significant decrease from 
the 80,000 cases against it the previous year.The vast majority of these current 
claimants allege use of some of the company's mask and respirator products and 
seek damages from the company and other defendants for alleged personal injury 
from work place exposures to asbestos or, less frequently, silica and other 
occupational dust, found in products manufactured by other defendants.  
The remaining claimants generally allege personal injury from occupational exposure 
to asbestos from unspecified products claimed to have been manufactured by the 
company or other defendants and/or from specialty products containing asbestos 
manufactured by the company and/or other defendants. The company said it settled 
a large number of claims during 2002 thus had a substantial reduction in the number 
of expected insurance recoveries and the quarterly changes in the number of claimants 
at the end of each quarter. According to the filing, 3M had estimated accrued 
liabilities of $161,000,000 for asbestos related claims, of which a substantial 
portion is covered by insurance. 



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