The Netherlands government will hold chemical giant 3M legally responsible for “forever” pollution in the Dutch part of the Scheldt river.
(Bloomberg) — The Netherlands government will hold chemical giant 3M legally responsible for “forever” pollution in the Dutch part of the Scheldt river.
For years, the company’s Antwerp, Belgium-based factory seeped contaminated groundwater into the 350-kilometer (217-mile) river that stretches from France, through Belgium, Netherlands and into the North Sea. Mark Harbers, Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, has officially started the legal process to make 3M pay for the pollution, according to a statement on Tuesday.
The ministry told Bloomberg in December that the country is investigating the link between 3M’s operations in Antwerp and the chemical PFAS contamination that officials recently discovered in the Western Scheldt in the Dutch province of Zeeland.
PFAS, used to make products like rain coats, is called the “forever chemical” because it’s nearly impossible to get rid of. It accumulates over time in the soil, the water and in human bodies—and is associated with a raft of health problems.
Read: 3M Risks Criminal Charges for ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Europe
3M’s manufacturing activities over several decades caused widespread contamination in the area surrounding its Antwerp factory, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. The government of the Flanders region in Belgium ordered 3M to shut down production of almost all PFAS chemicals after activists exposed the extent of the contamination around the factory, and tests on almost 800 local residents showed the vast majority had unsafe levels in their bloodstream.
The St. Paul, Minnesota-based company already agreed with the Belgian government to pay €571 million ($609 million) in damages. They also face possible civil cases by people suffering from health issues due to the company’s negligence.
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