Green Warriors: Forever Chemicals

Many factories around the world use perfluorinated chemicals to make everyday products. Due to their chemical stability, these compounds are “forever chemicals” They do not break down. Even worse, they can build up inside the human body and cause health problems, including cancer, and compromise the immune system. Companies have routinely dismissed campaigners who insist that cancer cases have risen close tofactories which use perfluorinated chemicals. They claim that only small amounts of chemicals are released into the environment. Our investigation proves that they are wrong. 

Fifteen years ago Ted van der Vlies was diagnosed with leukemia. He lives in the shadow of the local chemical plant. Later he took part in a regional blood sampling campaign which showed that his blood was terribly contaminated with PFOA, a perfluorinated “Forever Chemical”

Our team investigated two chemical factories, in France and the Netherlands. We took samples of the air, of the soil in gardens close to the plants, in the river water upstream and downstream of the factory, in the tap water. We also tested samples of breast milk from breastfeeding mothers in the area. 

The results were shocking. Our investigation has already had an impact in the fight to ban these “Forever Chemicals” which are impacting health and contaminating our planet.

“The documentary takes a serious and detailed look at the problem of so-called ‘eternal’ pollutants (pfc in this particular case) that are present in abundance in countries that call themselves advanced. But even more important is the analysis of our defences, the laws the community adopts to defend itself, which can sometimes be inadequate, leading to obvious dangers to human health and altering delicate balances. We believe that these aspects, as well as the determination to uphold the evidence, should be part of the cultural baggage of every individual in society, because only in this way is it possible to pursue development that is socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable.” Terra Di Tutti Film Festival jury comments (on awarding “Green Warriors: Forever Chemicals” with the Benedetto Senni Award).