million after-tax), which were partially offset by increases in other environmental liabilities ($134 million pre-tax, $83 million after-tax), restructuring actions ($41 million pre-tax, $27 million after-tax), and other exit activities ($45 million pre-tax, $29 million after-tax). These items, except the gain on sale of real estate, are discussed in more detail in Note 2 (Acquisitions and Divestitures), Note 4 (Restructuring Actions and Exit Activities) and Note 14 (Commitments and Contingencies). Gains on sale of businesses include the second-quarter 2007 sale of 3M’s Opticom Priority Control Systems and Canoga Traffic Detection businesses, and the first-quarter 2007 sale of the global branded pharmaceuticals business in Europe. Concerning the real estate sale, 3M sold a laboratory facility located in Suwon, Korea.

 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Net Sales:

 

In 2009, local-currency sales declined 5.6 percent. All major geographic areas showed local-currency declines, with the exception of the combined Latin America and Canada area, which was flat. Health Care had local-currency sales growth of 3.6 percent, while all other business segments experienced declines. Fourth-quarter 2009 local-currency sales increased 6.4 percent, with all business segments and major geographic areas showing improvement. In 2008, local-currency sales growth of 1.4 percent was led by the Safety, Security and Protection Services; Health Care; and Industrial and Transportation segments. Acquisitions increased 2008 sales by 3.3 percent, led by the April 2008 acquisition of Aearo. Refer to the sections entitled “Performance by Business Segment” and “Performance by Geographic Area” later in MD&A for additional discussion of sales change.



Operating Expenses:

 

As discussed in the preceding overview section, 2009 included restructuring charges, partially offset by a gain on sale of real estate, which combined decreased operating income by $194 million, or 0.9 percent of net sales. In 2008, the combination of restructuring actions, exit activities and a loss on sale of businesses, partially offset by a gain on sale of real estate, decreased operating income by $269 million, or 1.1 percent of net sales. In 2007, the gain on sale of businesses and real estate, net of environmental liability charges, restructuring and exit activities, benefited 2007 operating income by $681 million, or 2.8 percent of net sales. The following tables summarize these special items by income statement caption. 

 

Cost of Sales:

 

Cost of sales includes manufacturing, engineering and freight costs. Cost of sales as a percent of net sales decreased 0.5 percentage points in 2009 compared to 2008. As discussed in Note 4 (Restructuring Actions and Exit Activities), in 2009, 3M recorded $209 million in restructuring charges, of which $110 million was recorded in cost of sales. This was partially offset by a $15 million gain on sale of a New Jersey roofing granule facility, which was also recorded in cost of sales. In 2008, $122 million in restructuring and exit activities were recorded in cost of sales. Thus, restructuring and other items were $27 million lower year-on-year, benefiting cost