Massive complaint filed in Netherlands against chemical giant Chemours

The Hague, Sep 4 (EFE).- A lawsuit was filed Monday in the Netherlands on behalf of at least 2,700 people against Chemours management for, allegedly, “knowingly discharging” carcinogenic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into soil, air and surface water since 1962, endangering public health.

Dutch criminal attorney Benedicte Ficq, on behalf of residents of the Chemours factory in Dordrecht in the province of South Holland, personally delivered the complaints to the Public Prosecution Office in Amsterdam, demanding a criminal investigation of the former DuPont company.

Among other issues, Ficq urges the Dutch prosecutor’s office to investigate if Chemours received its official permits based on misleading information.

“Between 1962 and today, the declarants accuse DuPont/Chemours of intentionally and illegally introducing the substances PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and GenX (synthetic organofluoride) into the soil, air, and surface water, thereby endangering public health and the lives of others,” the complaint asserts.

Earlier this year, four surrounding municipalities took Chemours to court and held the chemical giant responsible for the environmental damage caused by the PFAS spills.

Although the company had obtained permits for its activities, the municipalities believe that it knew about the harm these substances could cause and concealed it.

To hold company management accountable, it must be shown what they knew and could have done on an individual level, in addition to proving actual damages, both material, and to health (physical or mental) and quality of life, and that Chemours violated its permits.

TA recent investigation by Zembla, a Dutch in-depth research program, suggested that the company was indeed aware of the health risks of PFASs and that senior management should have intervened, two conditions necessary to legally pursue this case, along with evidence that Chemours executives did nothing to prevent the harm, or tried to cover it up. EFE

ir/ar