American chemical company 3M to compensate businesses for Westerschelde PFAS pollution

The American chemical company 3M will pay businesses near the Westerschelde for damages caused by PFAS contamination, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management told the Tweede Kamer. The ministry did not specify the amount of the payments or which businesses would receive them.

According to Omroep Zeeland, the ministry described the payments as an act of “goodwill,” not formal compensation, leaving the possibility of additional claims in the future open.

The controversy dates back to 2021, when it emerged that 3M’s plant in Zwijndrecht had been releasing wastewater into the Schelde River with PFAS concentrations above legal limits for several years. In 2023, the ministry held the company liable for PFAS contamination in the Westerschelde, the river’s estuary. Several companies joined the claims against 3M.

PFAS, or poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, are synthetic chemicals used in products such as firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, and stain-resistant coatings.

They can accumulate in the human body, weakening the immune system, and, with long-term exposure, increasing the risk of certain cancers. The Dutch Fishermen’s Association has called on 3M to compensate shrimp fishermen who have been unable to fish in the area for years due to pollution.

Internal documents reviewed by the Fishermen’s Association this September indicate that 3M had long been aware that discharges of PFOS, a type of PFAS, at these levels were harmful to both humans and the environment.

In 2021, the illegal discharges from the Zwijndrecht plant brought the PFAS problem to Zeeland's public attention. That year, the Flemish government advised residents within a 10-kilometer radius of the plant not to consume homegrown food. Researchers also found dangerously high PFAS concentrations in the Westerschelde and the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal. In 2022, the RIVM warned the public to limit consumption of fish, shrimp, oysters, and mussels from the Westerschelde.