At the end of January, a group of residents of the industrial area south of Lyon launched civil proceedings against two chemical giants, Daikin Chemicals and Arkema, accused of helping to make their territory one of the most contaminated areas with PFAS in France.
The initiative involves almost 200 people, including adults and minors, who live next to the chemical plants of Oullins-Pierre-Bénite, an area where the daily presence of PFAS is felt in the water, soil and air. Supporting them are four environmental organizations, which accompany this civil mobilization, transforming it into a symbolic moment of the fight against “eternal pollutants”.
Behind this action there is meticulous work, the law firm following the case has collected medical documentation, blood tests and environmental samples for months, testifying to the widespread contamination and its effects on the daily lives of residents. And the compensation requests are important: over 36 million euros in total, around 190 thousand euros for each injured person.
A poisoned territory
The data collected by the health authorities describes an alarming situation: toxic substances have permeated the land, air and drinking water. Locally produced foods – in particular vegetables and eggs – are contaminated, as are the bodies of the inhabitants themselves, in whose blood and breast milk worrying concentrations have been detected.
Tons of PFAS are alleged to have been released into the Rhône every year, despite the health risks having been known for decades. Industrial production in this area has deep roots: one company has been operating since the late post-war period, while the other has been active since 2003.
The residents involved tell of health problems compatible with exposure to these substances: thyroid disorders, alterations in lipid metabolism, hypertension, chronic intestinal diseases and some tumors, including breast cancer. A particularly dramatic case concerns a testicular tumor diagnosed in childhood, which highlights the seriousness of the consequences of pollution.
The damage is not just physical. Many residents describe the anguish of discovering that their garden produce is poisonous. A 66-year-old woman, living a few hundred meters from the plant for over forty years, had to give up fruit from her garden after discovering concentrations of PFAS more than a hundred times higher than the limits in her grapes. The diagnosis of a liver disease confirmed his fears.
The requests for compensation include three types of damage: health, psychological and what is defined as “loss of enjoyment” – the impossibility of consuming the products of one’s land as indicated by the health authorities.
Polluters must pay
This civil action joins criminal proceedings already underway, opened for endangering public health and environmental crimes linked to the spread of PFAS. At the same time, the Lyon metropolitan administration commissioned an independent assessment to better understand the extent of the contamination and the historical responsibilities of the industries. In this way, citizens, associations and authorities work on multiple fronts to bring out truth and responsibility, and to push for concrete interventions in the area.
The Notre Affaire à Tous organization has presented a study that quantifies the cost of land reclamation over twenty years at almost two billion euros. Currently, the economic burden falls mainly on local authorities and citizens, while some companies are implementing filtering systems.
The choice of the civil route allows the victims to be protagonists of the process, guaranteeing certain times and visibility to the matter, unlike what happens in criminal proceedings.
The response of companies
The companies involved reacted in different ways. Arkema preferred not to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings, keeping its position confidential.
Daikin Chemicals France, however, underlined that it has been committed for years to producing responsibly and to constantly monitoring the impact of its activities on the environment, through concrete and continuous actions. The company also stated that it will defend its interests throughout the proceedings, reiterating its commitment to safer industrial practices.
What residents are asking for
The inhabitants are not asking for the closure of the plants which would only lead to a relocation of the pollution. Their request is to switch to sustainable production. As one of the plaintiffs summarizes, the goal is not to drive the industries out to other territories, but to demand that they stop poisoning those who live next to their factories.
This lawsuit sets a precedent that could pave the way for similar actions across Europe, where millions of people live with PFAS contamination. The associations expect a first decision within three years, the time necessary to consolidate the scientific documentation on the causal link between exposure and pathologies.
