Around 200 residents and multiple local associations have taken legal action against chemical giants Arkema (part of Total) and Daikin in France, alleging decades of harmful contamination from PFAS (“forever chemicals”) and demanding accountability for the health and environmental damage caused.
Key Points:
• On 29 January 2026, nearly 192 residents from the “Vallée de la Chimie” industrial zone south of Lyon filed the lawsuit, supported by groups including Notre Affaire à Tous, Eau bien commun Lyon-Métropole, Sauvegarde des Coteaux du Lyonnais, and Sauvegarde de la vallée de Francheville.
• They are seeking €36+ million compensation for health harms, stress and anxiety related to contamination, loss of enjoyment of their environment, and other damages.
• The case has been described as one of the largest civil PFAS lawsuits in Europe.
• Residents and lawyers argue that both companies were aware of PFAS risks for decades yet continued to release them into the environment, contributing to widespread pollution of soil, water, food and even residents’ blood.
• PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are extremely persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals linked to adverse health effects and known as “forever chemicals”.
• Daikin Chemical France has acknowledged the lawsuit and claims it has been taking steps to manage its environmental impact; Arkema has declined to comment publicly on the ongoing case.
This lawsuit highlights growing public concern about PFAS pollution globally — substances found not only near industrial sites but increasingly in water supplies, food, and human tissues — and tests legal avenues to enforce the polluter-pays principle, thereby protecting communities and ecosystems from industrial contamination.
