Activists from Extinction Rebellion (ER) entered the Arkema site in Pierre-Bénite (Rhône) on Saturday to denounce a ” environmental pollution “and carried out another action in a public building in Lyon.
An ER spokesman told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the militants had cut the fence before entering the Arkema site, located in what is known as “The Valley of Chemistry”. They unfurled banners that read “Contaminated water, Arkema dumps its waste in the Rhône” or “Arkema, producer of eternal pollutants since 1960”, according to photos sent to AFP by ER. The association demands the total cessation of the production of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) and polyfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAS) – a family of synthetic chemical compounds comprising more than 4,700 molecules, some of which are suspected of having an impact on health –, discharges of used water into the Rhône, the complete depollution of the site and its surroundings at Arkema’s expense, and the “compensation for victims of Arkema’s pollution”.
In a press release, the Rhône prefecture explained that ER activists had “carried out coordinated operations against a building of the regional department for the environment, planning and housing, in Lyon, and the premises of the Arkema factory in Pierre-Bénite”. “The prefect of the Rhône strongly condemns these actions and welcomes the rapid intervention of the police to [y] stop “ et “limit damage”added the prefecture. “No violation of the integrity of sensitive installations has been observed by Arkema”she clarified.
Arkema, for its part, “condemns such acts against the work tool of a thousand employees and stresses that the composure and professionalism of the police and internal teams has prevented the situation from degenerating”according to the director of the site, Pierre Clousier, quoted in a press release.
May revelations
In May, the mayor of Pierre-Bénite, Jérôme Moroge, had filed a complaint against X for endangering the lives of others after the revelations of the program “Envoyé Spécial” on the release of perfluorinated compounds suspected of being carcinogenic. in his municipality. In this report, the journalist himself took samples of water, air, soil and breast milk near the Arkema factory, then analyzed in a laboratory in the Netherlands, and which contained levels of perfluorinated compounds above different thresholds.
In its press release, the prefecture assures that, “For more than six months, the State services in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes have reinforced their mobilization to control and reduce the presence of PFAS south of Lyon”. “By decree, the prefect of the Rhône prescribed Arkema in September 2022 to stop using any PFAS additive by the end of 2024”recalled the prefecture. “The site has always worked in cooperation with the public authorities and demonstrated dialogue and transparency with local residents and employees”assured Arkema.