A group of nearly 3000 people in and around Dordrecht has filed a complaint against the management of Chemours chemical factory. They hold the company and its executives responsible for pfas contamination and accuse Chemours of covering up that contamination for years.
Many local residents say they have suffered health damage due to the actions of Chemours. They want the Public Prosecution Service to start a criminal investigation. Lawyer Bénédicte Ficq filed the declaration this morning on behalf of the entire group at the Functional Public Prosecutor’s Office in Amsterdam, which is part of the Public Prosecution Service.
There Ficq, together with local residents, explained the declaration:
The declarants accuse Chemours (formerly DuPont) of deliberately and unlawfully releasing pfoa and GenX into the air, soil and surface water from 1962 to the present. This has created a danger to public health and even to life, the group says. The substances (variants of pfas) are components of teflon, known from the frying pans, but they are also used, for example, to make clothing waterproof. They can cause all kinds of diseases in humans and animals.
Known for years
The reason for the declaration is a broadcast of Zembla from last June. It emerged that the management of DuPont/Chemours in the Netherlands had been aware of the damage to the environment caused by the company for years.
Nienke Blauw (46) from Dordrecht was angry and indignant after seeing the broadcast and she noticed that she was not alone in this. She took the initiative to start legal proceedings against the company together with a group of supporters. Via LinkedIn, she contacted lawyer Ficq because he had already started proceedings against Tata Steel in IJmuiden. A crowdfunding campaign called ‘Stop pfas, stop Chemours’ raised several tens of thousands of euros, with which the legal support can be paid for the time being. The group of declarants grew to almost 3000 people in two months.
The declarants want the Public Prosecution Service to investigate the knowledge that had existed within DuPont/Chemours since the 1970s about the harmful effects of pfas emissions, while the company did not share this with the government. It is certain that parent company DuPont in the US knew at an early stage that pfoa is very harmful to people and the environment.
Chemours told Nieuwsuur last Thursday that the company has been actively communicating with governments over the years. “And we shared the available information about the substances in our manufacturing processes in accordance with government regulations.”
When asked if the company has made any efforts to stop the pollution, the spokesperson said: “We have been investing for decades in reducing emissions to air and water by applying the best available technologies.”
On behalf of the province of South Holland, the DCMR Environmental Service is responsible for licensing, supervision and enforcement at companies such as Chemours. The service threatens fines of 125,000 euros per violation if the company does not stop discharging the toxic substances.
Tata Steel
A similar criminal procedure has been underway against Tata Steel in IJmuiden for some time. In May 2021, lawyer Ficq reported criminal offenses committed by the steel manufacturer on behalf of 800 people and ten foundations. Later the group of declarants grew to 1100 people.
Less than a year later, in February 2022, the Public Prosecution Service announced that after studying all documents, a criminal investigation was indeed launched against Tata Steel and residual product processor Harsco Metals. The role of the managers is part of that research.
That research has now been running for about a year and a half. The Public Prosecution Service does not make any interim announcements about the state of affairs.
- ‘Chemours tried to settle for millions in case about pfas damage’
- Chicken eggs in the Sliedrecht area heavily contaminated by PFAS from Chemours
- South Holland threatens Chemours with a penalty for illegal discharge
