“Eternal Chemicals”: US companies pay 1.2 billion for water pollution

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In a joint statement on Friday (local time), Chemours, DuPont and Corteva said they had reached “an agreement in principle” to settle “all lawsuits related to PFAS-contaminated drinking water.”

Of the $ 1.2 billion that must flow into the unification fund, Chemours wants to take over the largest part of $ 592 million. Du Pont pays $400 million and Corteva pays $193 million.

The group of per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) is commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” because these substances decompose extremely slowly. They are used in the manufacture of numerous industrial and consumer products, including carpets, waterproof clothing, cosmetics and toilet paper. The substances can cause cancer and other health problems.

Industry giant 3M has also reached a $10 billion settlement in legal disputes with several U.S. cities over PFAS-contaminated drinking water, according to the financial news agency Bloomberg. The agreement still needs to be ratified by a judge.

In 2022, 3M had already paid 571 million euros to the Belgian region of Flanders after chemicals leaked from a factory in Zwijndrecht near Antwerp. The Dutch government announced last week that it wanted to ask 3M compensation for damage caused by chemicals in the Western Scheldt.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is calling for new standards to limit the occurrence of harmful substances in drinking water. Utilities must monitor six of the dangerous chemicals and reduce their levels in the water. The new standards could prevent thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of illnesses from PFAS.

Germany, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden submitted an application to the EU chemicals agency Echa in January to ban the eternal chemicals. The European Commission should draw up a regulation. The ban will therefore not be introduced until 2026 at the earliest.

(SDA)

Source: Blick