Well over a decade ago, residents of Ronneby, Sweden, learned their water supply had been contaminated with PFAS — also known as "forever chemicals" — but they're still fighting to hold their local government to account, according to the Guardian.
What's happening?
In December 2013, Ronneby learned via a "reassuring" news report that their water supply had been switched due to a contaminant, the Guardian reported.
The culprit? Firefighting foam.
Kallinge is a small village in the Ronneby municipality, and, for decades, firefighting foam containing PFAS was in constant use at its air force base. According to the Guardian, "training sessions were pretty constant. Afterwards, the foam would soak away into the sandy soil and disappear."
At the time, Kallinge's population was largely unaware of PFAS, the substance that contaminated their original water supply. But, as they began to look into it, an escalating sense of unease descended on the area.
In February 2014, occupational health researcher Christian Lindh received blood samples obtained from children in the contaminated area, the Guardian reported. He re-tested the samples for PFAS contamination when initial results came back "impossibly high."
Lindh ultimately determined that the children's blood samples contained PFAS levels 37 times higher than those of children in areas with uncontaminated water.
Resident Herman Afzelius didn't worry much about the news report until the government asked locals to submit to a blood test. He was stunned to discover his PFAS levels were nine times higher than average, and in July 2014, he started a Facebook group for those affected.
Other Kallinge residents decided to pursue legal remedies, but as Afzelius explained, there was a risk. Most of those affected were of modest means, and if they initiated a case and lost, they'd be financially liable for the other party's costs, along with their own.
More than 160 residents filed in July 2016, with the Guardian noting that the average costs reached £18,000 ($24,581) for a family of four. Afzelius was stricken by guilt as fees piled up.
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Majorly 😥 "I started this," he told the news outlet. "What would happen if we lost? We would still be poisoned for the rest of our lives, and then have to pay for it."
Why is one PFAS case so important?
While Ronneby has been called the "world's worst case of forever chemicals contamination," it's not the only mass PFAS contamination incident in recent history.
"Forever chemicals" earned their ominous name because they don't break down in the environment, nor the human body. PFAS have been linked to a vast number of health conditions, including cancer, a rare form of which affected Kallinge's residents, including Afzelius.
Afzelius discovered a lump, the Guardian reported, which turned out to be an extremely rare cancer known as inflammatory leiomyosarcoma. Although cases are minimal worldwide, another resident developed the same cancer.
What can people do about PFAS contamination?
Kallinge's residents then faced a second hurdle: Sweden's courts didn't recognize PFAS contamination as a viable tort worthy of compensation.
But after a win and a reversal, Sweden's highest court ruled in their favor, clearing the way for individual suits to be filed. However, according to the Guardian, a pyrrhic victory didn't undo the damage.
"No one took responsibility. No one," Afzelius lamented.
FAS chemicals appear in a variety of places in everyday life, such as nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing. On an individual level, people can stay safe from toxins like PFAS by upgrading their cookware through toxin- and plastic-avoidant retailers like Grove.com and more broadly by sticking to clean beauty and natural weed control practices, among other examples.
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