DuPont was silent for years about possible dangers of C8

Chemical company Dupont has major concerns about the substance C8 for years not passed on to the Dutch authorities. Thereby the company could continue to use the fabric and emit, while all clear was that the material was potentially harmful to public health and possibly carcinogenic.

That is clear from conversations of this newspaper with authorities in the relevant years were in contact with Dupont. Until now unknown or in their talks about potential harmfulness of the substances was spoken. Minister Asscher announced this week an in-depth research on the behaviour of Dupont.

Evidence Dupont got all from the 80 's evidence that the use of the substance may be harmful was for employees. In 2004, Dupont in America a record fine, because it had concealed for years worrying research results. And in 2005 began a population research under 70,000 people in the US, that a possible link found between C8 emissions and five serious disorders, including kidney cancer.

But the company has the Dutch authorities there never told about all these years, mayors, aldermen and members of Parliament concerned from those years. ,, I never had any signal about worries to C8 ', ' says Govert Veldhuijzen, from 1998 to 2006 environment law holder in Dordrecht and later Deputy in the Dutch province of South Holland.

Disappointing, the company has never reported about all there when in the US already played. Now we know how it is, is that particularly disappointing. '' Erik van Heijningen, Deputy from 2003 to 2011, remembers ' no discussion on the substance '.

Former Mayor Martin Bajaj of Sliedrecht, which the company for years asked for information about the emissions, says deeply disappointed to be in the company. ,, It has all the discussions around the substance consciously not mentioned, while it was known that it was dangerous. DuPont knew very well that in the US a criminal case ran, but told us nothing. '' Environmental expert Johan Banman calls the case a ' great deception of the authorities '. ,, This is an exceptional form of cover up, even for the chemical industry. ''

Worrying the RIVM presented in March this year that people living near the factory have run on for years risk possible damage to health, because them through the air may have been exposed to the substance. Since 2013 State C8 in Europe as ' substance of very high concern '.

Chemours, the company where the chemical activities of Dupont since last year, says Dupont ' always responsible acted '. ,, The company has always provided detailed data to the Government about the substances that were used. '' The company works since 2012 no longer with the fabric.

By Editorial AD Photo: REUTERS/AD