If the Dordrecht chemical group Chemours continues to discharge a certain type of PFAS for which it does not have a permit after January 1, it can expect a fine of 125,000 euros per established violation. The administrative judge has that decided in The Hague on Friday. The maximum fine that Chemours can be imposed is 1.25 million euros.
Last May, inspectors from the Rijnmond Central Environmental Management Department discovered that the wastewater from the Chemours factory in Dordrecht contained trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a substance that the company does not have a permit to discharge. This is a so-called ‘ultra-short’ PFAS compound, which is on the list of substances of potential Very High Concern maintained by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). For this purpose, the province of South Holland had already imposed a penalty on Chemours, which the judge decided to enforce on Friday.
Chemours said on Friday it was disappointed with the ruling. The company regrets that it has not been given more time by the judge “to investigate and install the necessary measures that will allow us to filter any traces of TFA from our wastewater,” a spokesperson said in a response. “The technology is the limiting factor, not our efforts.” The group has now applied for a permit to discharge 127 kilos of TFA annually, but this has not yet been obtained.
Another penalty was suspended on Friday. Chemours had emitted more than the maximum permitted amount of another substance (HCFC-22), but according to the judge this did not amount to a violation. The rulings were the result of summary proceedings that Chemours itself had initiated against the penalty payments.
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Chemours has been under fire for years for emitting large amounts of PFAS, which are harmful to the environment and human health. Last September, the judge ruled that the company is partly liable for damage suffered by municipalities in the area due to pollution with PFAS. This is separate from cases that local residents have filed against Chemours. The company withheld important information about the harmful effects of PFAS for years.