How criminology can support environmental health: the case of PFAS

Abstract

This commentary argues that the field of criminology can aid in addressing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) pollution, providing levers to achieve public health aims of drastically lowering and abating new PFAS emissions while addressing historic exposure. Based on a European example of the large DuPont de Nemours (now Chemours) industrial facility in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, we frame the history of PFAS exposures as a crime. We discuss how PFAS pollution emerged in part due to knowledge asymmetries, perpetuated by the close alignment of corporate and governmental interests, and the fragmentation of regulatory enforcement, both historic and contemporary.