MPs call on Chemours to put health first, campaign for PFAS ban

Members of Parliament have called for "health to come first" and not economic interests in front of the gate of the Chemours chemical plant in Dordrecht. Geert Gabriëls (GroenLinks-PvdA) and Ines Kostić (Party for the Animals), together with provincial and local politicians from the SP, were among the 200 protesters at the gate of the plant, which has been emitting large quantities of harmful PFAS for years. On Saturday, residents were demonstrating in front of the chemical company Chemours in Dordrecht for the 200th time.

Al 200 keer stonden inwoners te demonstreren voor de poorten van #Chemours . Onafbreekbare chemicaliën blijven geloosd worden en dat moet stoppen. Vanochtend beloofde ik deze mensen om samen te blijven strijden tegen deze vergiftiging en vóór hun gezondheid. #milieu #PFAS pic.twitter.com/kW1rg6LD6i

— Geert Gabriëls (@Geert_gabriels) February 3, 2024

Al 200 weken schepen Joop Keesmaat (71) en zijn maat Kees vervuilde grond in emmertjes om tegen #Chemours te protesteren. Morgenochtend om 10:30 weer voor de poort van Chemours #Stoppfas #stopchemours @Gezondheidhoortop1 https://t.co/xcJqKz8xss

— 🌳 🌊 Stichting Gezondheidop1 (@VerbruggeAntoi1) February 2, 2024

"Why doesn't health come first? Why do economic interests take precedence over health interests?" said Gabriëls, who recently became an MP. "Companies’ permits seem to be better protected than people's health. This is disguised with all kinds of regulations. It is terribly difficult to find out who is talking about what and to do something about it, but we will continue to fight hard for it. It is ridiculous that non-degradable substances, also known as 'forever chemicals', are entering our ecosystems and simply poisoning people."

Gabriëls promised the residents of the plant that he would fight hard for a ban on PFAS. "The powerlessness I feel here, I also feel in The Hague. Work is being done on a European PFAS ban, but that will take at least another two years. I want to go through the regulations and issue a ban now. People are currently being poisoned legally and that is unacceptable. We will continue to put pressure on State Secretary Heijnen." Among other things, the Limburg MEP is calling for companies to only be allowed to use substances if it has been proven that they are safe for public health. "Now it's the other way around," he said.

Kostić appealed to the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB, who are in the process of forming a Cabinet. "They say on paper that they are there for the citizens. I would like to remind them of that," said the new Party for the Animals MP. "My message to these parties is therefore: health comes first. For years, the government has put the interests and money of the big polluters first. You can see this not only at Chemours but also at Tata Steel, Schiphol Airport and in Groningen. People are getting sick, but the government doesn't intervene. That only happens if citizens knock on the door long enough and appeal to the judges. Politicians should take the lead much more and put health first."