Three large American chemical companies have agreed to pay a total of almost 1.2 billion dollars (the equivalent of 1.1 billion euros) for the contamination of drinking water sources with so-called perpetual chemicals. In a joint statement on Friday, Chemours, Dupont and Corteva said they had reached "an agreement in principle" to settle "all PFAS-contaminated drinking water lawsuits." A large part of the U.S. population is supplied with drinking water from the affected springs.

Of the $1.2 billion to flow into the unification fund, Chemours wants to take the largest share of $592 million. Dupont is expected to pay $400 million and Corteva $193 million.

PFAS are found in many products

The group of per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) is commonly referred to as "perpetual chemicals" or "perpetual chemicals" because these substances decompose extremely slowly. They are used in the manufacture of numerous industrial and consumer products, including carpets, waterproof clothing, cosmetics, shampoos, pizza boxes, and toilet paper. However, the substances are harmful to health and can cause cancer and other health problems.

The industrial giant 3M also agreed to a settlement totaling 10 billion dollars (9.32 billion euros) in legal disputes with several US cities over drinking water contaminated with PFAS, as the financial news agency Bloomberg reported. However, 3M did not comment on Friday when asked. The settlement has yet to be confirmed by a judge.

The Netherlands is claiming damages

Last year, the American company 3M paid 571 million euros to the Belgian region of Flanders after chemicals leaked from a factory in Zwijndrecht near Antwerp.

The Dutch government announced last week that it would demand compensation from 3M for damage caused by chemicals in the Western Scheldt. The estuary connects Antwerp with the North Sea. 3M has already announced that it will phase out PFAS production by the end of 2025.

This year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called for new standards to limit the presence of harmful substances in drinking water. Utilities are to monitor six of the hazardous chemicals and reduce their levels in the water. The new standards could prevent thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of cases of illness caused by PFAS, said EPA chief Michael Regan.

Germany, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden had submitted an application to the EU chemicals agency Echa in January to ban the eternal chemicals. A regulation would have to be drawn up by the EU Commission, which would then propose it to the member states. The ban is therefore not expected to be implemented until 2026 at the earliest.