Residents of ‘chemical valley’ sue over alarming concentrations of compounds in blood tests: ‘It’s a disaster’

> France’s “chemical valley” is located on the outskirts of Lyon in the southern part of the country and is home to the Arkema and Daikin chemical factories, known for their significant PFAS emissions, according to RFI. The area is known as “chemical valley” because of its high concentration of manufacturers. It is possibly the most PFAS-polluted area in France.

> Now, local residents have discovered **alarmingly high** amounts of PFAS in their bloodstreams, per RFI. Due to this and the health-related issues that have likely evolved from these forever chemicals — including reported cases of **cancer and Parkinson’s disease** — roughly 400 residents are bringing a lawsuit against the chemical factories.

> Resident Thierry Mounib told RFI: “There’s the nursery school. We took samples from there. It’s a disaster.” This mass lawsuit is the first civil lawsuit regarding PFAS contamination in France and could end up being the **biggest case of its kind** in Europe. Exposure to these chemicals has been linked to everything from a higher risk of certain cancers to interference with hormones to **decreased fertility.** The higher the amount of PFAS in one’s system, the worse off one could be. Mounib joined the mass lawsuit after his PFAS levels tested at 22.6 micrograms per liter of blood, which is **10 times** the amount typically found in one’s bloodstream, as RFI reported.