PIERRE-BÉNITE, France: Eight people were arrested on Saturday when environmental activists stormed a French chemical plant to condemn the production of so-called “forever chemicals” (PFAS compounds), local authorities said.
About 300 people from the Extinction Rebellion and Youth for Climate groups broke through a fence and entered the Arkema site at the Pierre Benite factory near Lyon in southeastern France, a spokesman for the organizers said.
Once inside the facility, they deployed banners and spray-painted graffiti including “PFAS tell the truth” and “Arkema is poisoning us”. According to Police, there were around 150 arrests.
“We want to close to door for the ‘forever chemicals’ that Arkema is dumping into the Rhone river,” a spokesman for the organisers, Julien, said.
“And at the same time, we want to open the door because everything that’s happening here is being done in secret,” he added.
PFAS, Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), are a family of around 4,000 chemical compounds often referred to as “forever chemicals” because of their long lifespans in bodies and the environment. They resist grease, oil, water and heat.
Experts say exposure to some PFAS is associated with serious health effects.
US regulators announced this week that PFAS-containing materials for packaging microwave popcorn and other high-fat foods will no longer be sold in the US.
In a statement, Arkema announced that the Pierre Benite site will stop using PFAS compounds in the production of its products by the end of this year.
France’s industry minister Roland Lescure took to X to denounced the protest, saying that “Disagreeing and debating, yes. Destroying, no”.
The protest came as another chemical group, Daikin, seeks to build a new manufacturing plant nearby, prompting protests from residents.
Regional authorities said the new Daikin site will not lead to PFAS discharges into the water, unlike the Arkema site, which is subject to a September 2022 ordinance requiring the use of PFAS surfactants to cease by the end of 2024.
