The Dutch state believes that the American chemical group 3M should compensate for the damage caused by the harmful PFAS in the Western Scheldt in Zeeland. Minister Mark Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management) has held the company liable, the state attorney has informed 3M in a letter.
The province of Zeeland has been calling on companies, organizations and residents to report damage caused by PFAS in the Westerschelde for some time now. Poly and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are harmful to health and the environment. They are used in, for example, fire-fighting foam and water-repellent clothing. The substances can accumulate in the body and reduce the functioning of the immune system.
Chemical group 3M in Zwijndrecht, Belgium, near Antwerp, has been discharging PFAS into the Scheldt for years. The river flows to the Western Scheldt in Zeeland. Last year, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) stated that various types of fish, crustaceans and shellfish from the Western Scheldt contain such high concentrations of PFAS that it was advisable to eat them as little as possible.
Minister Harbers points out that PFAS leads to concerns among local residents and financial damage to fishermen and Rijkswaterstaat, for example. “I think that the polluters should pay, not the users and managers. Holding 3M liable is in line with that starting point.”
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