Arkema and Daikin are also singled out for their emissions of PFAS, the so‑called forever chemicals.
“Chemical Valley”: Massive Violations of Fundamental Rights Denounced
It marks a historic first in the fight against chemical pollution in France. Five UN Special Rapporteurs from the United Nations Human Rights Council officially pressed the French state, together with the industry giants Arkema and Daikin, regarding PFAS contamination in the “Chemical Valley” just south of Lyon. These experts allege possible human rights violations and give the parties sixty days to respond. This extraordinary move follows a July 2025 alert by the environmental group Notre Affaire à Tous. For the first time on French soil, UN representatives publicly question the management of persistent pollutants and interrogate the state’s role in this widespread contamination.
In their March 2026 letters, excerpts of which were made public, the special rapporteurs express their “deep concern about the harmful effects on human rights from Arkema France and Daikin Chemical France” operations. They highlight especially the heightened risks for local residents of developing “serious illnesses such as cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, and digestive disorders.”
The contamination now affects more than 200,000 people living in the area. Blood tests of the local population further intensify these concerns, revealing the dramatic impact of consuming contaminated water and food on residents’ right to health and life. In the eyes of the UN experts, this pollution “raises questions about the government’s implementation of its obligations under international law,” particularly the duty to protect its citizens “from violations carried out by companies on its territory.”
A Precautionary Principle Flouted, International Experts Say
One of the sharpest accusations concerns the late application of the precautionary principle. “It is troubling that French authorities did not apply the precautionary principle promptly,” the rapporteurs write, lamenting also the absence of any “long-term vision” to phase out these substances without sacrificing jobs. This indictment rests on a stark finding: French authorities were aware for roughly fifteen years of the presence of PFAS in the environment, and since 2008 of their potential health effects. Despite these early warnings, authorities waited until 2022 to take concrete measures, which are still deemed “insufficient today.”
The absence of a robust monitoring system has notably aggravated the situation. This failure “contributed to the persistence and worsening of PFAS pollution in the Chemical Valley,” the experts state. In response, the state has recently imposed stricter controls on sewage sludge—an admittedly late but telling sign of growing awareness.
PFAS Contamination: Two Industries in the Dock
Arkema and Daikin are directly targeted by this international procedure. The two groups stand accused of discharging up to 3.5 tons of PFAS per year into the Rhône, despite being well aware of the risks posed by these molecules since the 1990s. Arkema has produced persistent pollutants at this site since the late 1950s; Daikin joined the Pierre-Bénite site in 2003. In response, Arkema France maintains that the UN experts’ letter “contains numerous factually inaccurate allegations” and notes that its site is “
The UN intervention comes as a civil action of unprecedented scale in Europe takes shape. In January 2026, 192 residents of the chemical platform—including 25 minors—filed suit against Arkema and Daikin Chemical France before the Lyon court, seeking 190,000 euros per person, totaling almost 36.5 million euros.
Among the plaintiffs, the health disorders are as numerous as they are grave: six cases of breast cancer, one case of testicular cancer in a minor, twenty-five thyroid diseases, about twenty cases of lipid abnormalities, around a dozen hypertension-related illnesses, and as many ulcerative colitis cases. This mobilization forms part of a broader legal strategy, complementing criminal proceedings already underway for causing endangerment and ecocide.
Financial Stakes for Cleanup Are Colossal
Notre Affaire à Tous recently released a study estimating the cost of cleaning up the “Chemical Valley” at nearly €2 billion over twenty years—€1.7 billion for contaminated soil and €107 million for discharges from the platform’s waters. Across Europe, the scale of the challenge is staggering: a European Commission‑commissioned report published in January 2026 estimates the cost of persistent pollutants to the Union at €330 billion to €1.7 trillion by 2050.
This financial pressure is accompanied by regulatory acceleration. Brussels is considering banning these substances from consumer products, though the legislative proposal is not expected before the end of 2026.
A Contamination That Extends Far Beyond the Lyon Valley
While the Chemical Valley remains the best-documented contamination hotspot in France, it is by no means an isolated case. France reportedly has 108 PFAS-contaminated zones, while Europe as a whole has more than 2,300. These “forever pollutants,” nearly indestructible, accumulate relentlessly in the air, soil, rivers, the food chain, and the human body. Widely spread by the chemical industry for decades, they now stand as one of the most daunting environmental and health challenges of our era.
For Jérémie Suissa, general secretary of Notre Affaire à Tous, “this UN statement marks a historic milestone and essential institutional recognition for residents and workers who have fallen victim to the pollution. It is time for the State to take back its responsibilities and properly regulate the industries.”
