The PFAS scandal

In the Dutch province Zeeland the water has become so highly contaminated with toxic PFAS chemicals that fish from these waters can no longer be safely eaten. PFAS, also called ‘forever chemicals’ because they hardly degrade in the natural environment, can be hazardous to human health, even at very small amounts. A scandal arose when it became known that a factory of the chemical giant 3M in the neighbouring Flemish city of Antwerp had been discharging huge amounts of PFAS chemicals into the water, thereby also polluting the downstream waterways of the Dutch Zeeland province. But even though the 3M factory was shut down, PFAS concentrations in Zeeland have not been declining. Zembla follows the PFAS trail and discovers another major source of PFAS pollution.