Prosecuting Polluters, Delivering Justice to Victims of Persistent Pollutants : A Comparative Study of Compensation Litigation in Europe and the United States
Gillot, Charline
Prosecuting Polluters, Delivering Justice to Victims of Persistent Pollutants : A Comparative Study of Compensation Litigation in Europe and the United States - 2025.
26
In the early 2000s, the legal battle against companies producing and using per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the USA brought to light an unprecedented environmental and health scandal. However, the “forever pollution” problem became a political and legal concern in Europe only a few years ago. There is, to date, a significant delay in chemical regulation as a direct result of the industrials’ strategy to make PFAS science invisible and exclude the topic from the public debate. This article relies on a comparative study of industrial PFAS pollution litigation in Europe (Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden) and the United States. It highlights the plaintiffs’ difficulties in proving damage and causation before the courts. It proposes to discuss the similarities and contrasts of strategies to engage the polluters’ liability and implement the compensation for victims of everlasting but long-ignored pollution.
Prosecuting Polluters, Delivering Justice to Victims of Persistent Pollutants : A Comparative Study of Compensation Litigation in Europe and the United States - 2025.
26
In the early 2000s, the legal battle against companies producing and using per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the USA brought to light an unprecedented environmental and health scandal. However, the “forever pollution” problem became a political and legal concern in Europe only a few years ago. There is, to date, a significant delay in chemical regulation as a direct result of the industrials’ strategy to make PFAS science invisible and exclude the topic from the public debate. This article relies on a comparative study of industrial PFAS pollution litigation in Europe (Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden) and the United States. It highlights the plaintiffs’ difficulties in proving damage and causation before the courts. It proposes to discuss the similarities and contrasts of strategies to engage the polluters’ liability and implement the compensation for victims of everlasting but long-ignored pollution.
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