Dec 19, 2023 at 1:26 PM Update: 2 hours ago
Chemours says it was not aware that harmful PFAs were created in the chemical factory. The substance TFA was discovered in the factory’s wastewater in May. If the substance is found again, Chemours will be fined.
The factory in Dordrecht objected to the threatened fine and went to court. He considered the matter on Tuesday and will make a ruling on Friday.
Every time trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) is found again, the Dordrecht factory must pay a fine of 125,000 euros. That amount can amount to 1.25 million euros.
Chemours does not know how TFA is formed during the production process. “We cannot ensure that no TFA is formed in the reactor,” said an employee of the chemical plant.
The factory has applied for a permit to discharge the chemical. That application is still pending.
Pfas harmful to people and the environment
- Pfas is a collective name for all kinds of chemical substances that are hardly broken down. They are created, for example, when making the non-stick coating of pans and making raincoats water-repellent.
- Presumably everyone has pfas in their body. This forever chemicals accumulate there and can have harmful effects.
- It is not yet clear exactly what health damage PFAs cause. Research is being done into this. Pfas are associated with various types of cancer, among other things.
TFA is a substance of potentially very high concern
The RIVM has placed TFA on the list of substances of potentially very high concern. The substance may contribute to the development of certain types of cancer or have an effect on fertility. But it is not yet clear exactly how harmful TFA is.
After the environmental agency of the province of South Holland discovered TFA in wastewater from the factory, Chemours started looking for the source. “We have an image of 95 percent of the sources where it comes from,” said an employee.
According to Chemours, PFAs are created during the production process, the existence of which is unknown to the factory. The fact that the factory is then allowed to simply discharge that unknown pfas is unacceptable for South Holland. “Then it’s all over,” said the province’s lawyer.
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‘No choice but to close factory’
If Chemours is indeed no longer allowed to discharge TFA, according to the factory’s lawyer, there is no “other choice than to close all factories”.
The province doubts whether that is correct. “But if that’s the consequence, then that’s the consequence,” the province’s attorney said.
In a second session, the province of South Holland and Chemours again faced each other. That case concerned excessive emissions of the substance chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22).
The substance is not directly dangerous for the environment, but does damage the ozone layer and increases the greenhouse effect. The province believes that the factory must pay 500,000 euros if Chemours again emits too much HCFC-22. This amount can increase to 6.5 million euros for multiple violations.
The judge will also decide on Friday whether this order is justified.
2023-12-19 12:26:00
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