Chemical company 3M must pay compensation of 2,000 euros to residents living near the site in Zwijndrecht, Belgium. Members of a family were found to have too much polluting PFAS in their blood and according to the judge that is the fault of the factory.
Belgian media write that for the first time such a case has been brought to court. The ruling opens the door for other residents to also go to court.
The family in question lives about 1 kilometer from the factory. Their blood turned out to contain 100 times the permitted amount of PFAS. They therefore went to court and demanded compensation.
Wat is PFAS?
- PFAS is de verzamelnaam voor duizenden stoffen die onder meer in kleding en antiaanbakpannen zitten.
- De chemische stoffen zijn moeilijk af te breken. Daarom worden PFAS ook wel ‘eeuwige chemische stoffen’ genoemd.
- Het menselijk lichaam kan PFAS nauwelijks afvoeren. De stoffen hopen zich daardoor op en kunnen gezondheidsproblemen veroorzaken.
Court finds neighbor nuisance proven
The court agreed. According to the judge, there was nuisance to neighbors because the PFAS values in the area are “abnormally high”.
“This increase and therefore the nuisance is attributable to 3M, as it has been established that the majority of the PFAS pollution in the province of Antwerp comes from 3M,” quotes VRT the judge.
The family will initially receive compensation of 2,000 euros. If the family members develop health problems due to PFAS, 3M may have to pay more. The provisional amount of damage may seem low, but it can still increase.
3M has often been in the news because of PFAS. For example, until 2002 the company discharged PFOS (falls under PFAS) into the water at Zwijndrecht. As a result, the Western Scheldt in Zeeland also became polluted. At the end of 2025, the company wants to stop producing and using the polluting substances.
2023-05-16 07:31:00
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