Chemical pollution
131 cases in 57 countries, 1895–2026. Most cases: United States (50), Germany (10), Russia (9), Switzerland (8), India (8).
Federal court rules New York climate superfund law preempted
A federal court held New York's Climate Superfund law preempted by federal law. Vermont is defending its own Climate Superfund law against a lawsuit from the Trump administration.
Myanmar Kachin heavy rare earth mining and Kok River arsenic
Thai and Mekong River Commission measurements in 2025 found arsenic at 2.5 times the World Health Organization limit at four of five sites on the Kok and Mekong rivers. Reports attributed it mainly to rare earth and gold mining in Myanmar's Shan State.
Navoi city smog of July–August 2025: plant suspensions, court rulings and 10.348 billion soums in compensation payments
After repeated smog episodes in Navoi in July 2025, the Ministry of Ecology measured pollutant levels above limits, suspended more than 20 enterprises and took claims to the economic courts. A special commission reported compensation payments of 10.348 billion soums; Navoiyazot denied it was the source.
Strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, 2025 and 2026: IAEA statements on contamination and the Bushehr reactor
The IAEA's Director General said in June 2025 that radioactivity outside Natanz was at normal levels while radiological and chemical contamination inside the facility was possible. In March and April 2026 statements by the IAEA, Rosatom, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization and Iran's foreign minister addressed a projectile hit and strikes near the Bushehr power station.
Students in Gabès, Tunisia, reportedly poisoned near state chemical complex
Business News TN reported in December 2025 that schoolchildren in Gabès were being poisoned repeatedly near a state chemical complex. The cited sources do not name the substances or the number of students affected.
UN plastics treaty negotiations (INC-5, Geneva, Nairobi, Bangkok)
Two formal rounds of negotiations on a UN plastics treaty, in Busan in 2024 and Geneva in 2025, ended without agreement. Industry lobbyists outnumbered some national delegations, and a production cap remained in square brackets in the chair's 2026 text.
Kashagan sulphur environmental fine (Kazakhstan)
Kazakh authorities pursued an environmental fine of about $5 billion over sulphur at the Kashagan oil field. In April 2026 a report described the fine as upheld on appeal, setting back the oil majors in the consortium. In July 2026 the authorities froze the operator's assets over the fine; Kazakhstan's separate US$160 billion arbitration against the consortium includes claims for environmental damage.
Synagro biosolids and PFAS in Texas
Five farm families in Johnson County, Texas, sued Synagro in 2024, alleging that sewage sludge spread on a neighbouring field contaminated their water and killed animals. The company denies the claims.
Indonesia waste-to-energy (PSEL) tariff and Danantara
In 2025 Indonesia replaced the fee municipalities paid waste-to-energy plants with a 30-year electricity tariff of 20 US cents per kWh. In 2026 the Danantara investment fund selected operators, and the environmental group WALHI objected.
US chemical recycling plants run far below capacity, and some have closed
Plants sold as advanced recycling processed a small share of their declared capacity, and at least one closed in 2024. At ExxonMobil's Baytown plant, about 92% of the feed was mostly converted into fuel.
Karachaganak oil arbitration and the sulphur-fine reports (Kazakhstan)
Kazakhstan started an arbitration with the Karachaganak consortium in spring 2023 over disputed cost deductions. In February 2026 an interim award in Kazakhstan's favour, estimated at US$2–4 billion, was reported. The roughly $5 billion sulphur fine reported in April 2026 is described in its sources as a Kashagan fine and is recorded under that case.
PFAS water utility settlements by 3M, DuPont, Chemours and Corteva
3M's settlement with US public water systems over PFAS received final approval on 29 March 2024; the present value of the payments was put at US$10.3 billion. The American Water Works Association said in 2023 that treating PFOA and PFOS would cost more than US$3.8 billion a year, with the burden falling on customers.
Fukushima treated water discharge and Chinese seafood ban
Japan began discharging treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi plant into the Pacific on 24 August 2023 after the IAEA found the plan consistent with international standards. China banned Japanese seafood imports, partly reopened in 2025 and suspended them again in November 2025.
Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex: Barrick–Mali dispute, provisional administration and settlement
Mali and Barrick, which owns 80% of the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex, disputed taxes, dividends and the mining code from 2023; gold was seized, operations suspended in January 2025 and a provisional administrator ran the complex from June to December 2025. A settlement announced on 24 November 2025 included a payment of about FCFA 143 billion. Barrick's disclosures for the complex's tailings facility and cyanide plant record an "Extreme" consequence classification and cyanide limit exceedances.
Sino-Metals Leach tailings dam failure and the Kafue River (Zambia)
A tailings dam at the Sino-Metals Leach site in Zambia's Copperbelt failed in February 2025 and acidic waste reached the Kafue River system. The company's first statement put the spill at 50,000 tonnes; a contractor reported at least 1.5 million tonnes. The government penalty was reported at 1.5 million kwacha, while damages claims exceeded US$420 million and 176 residents sought US$80 billion.
3M agrees to pay US public water suppliers $10.3bn over PFAS
3M's settlement with US public water suppliers over PFAS was approved on 29 March 2024 at a present value of $10.3 billion, with a nominal ceiling of $12.5 billion paid over 13 years. It covers systems that have detected or could detect PFAS, and the company's chief executive described it as a way to reduce risk and uncertainty.
3M booked US$10.3bn charge for US public water PFAS settlement
3M recorded a pre-tax charge of US$10.3 billion in 2023 for its settlement with US public water suppliers over PFAS, chemicals that persist in the environment. Payments run to 2036.
Appeals court overturns PFAS blood-contamination class action against 3M
A US appeals court overturned a class action on behalf of about 11.8 million people with PFAS in their blood. According to the Washington Legal Foundation, the plaintiffs could not show which of ten companies, including 3M, had put the chemicals there.
Maine PFAS sludge farms
In May 2023 the PFAS Project reported that high PFAS levels had been found on 56 farms in Maine. A $60 million fund had been set up for affected farms; about $1 million had been paid out.
Aydın geothermal plants and fig orchards (Sarı Zeybek, Çamköy, Germencik)
In Aydın, Turkey's main fig-growing province, courts annulled environmental decisions for geothermal wells planned in fig orchards, and a minister reported a non-standard discharge from a geothermal plant. Plant owners are paid under a purchase guarantee set in Law 5346.
Chlorpyrifos: exports of an EU-banned pesticide
Chlorpyrifos, an insecticide the EU no longer allows, was still notified for export from Belgium and Denmark in the second half of 2022. It was listed for global elimination under the Stockholm Convention in 2025 with 22 exempted uses.
Munition residues and war damage in Ukrainian soils: measurements and state damage assessments
Peer-reviewed studies of soils in Kharkiv and Kirovohrad oblasts and a screening of frontline and urban areas measured heavy metals and explosive residues at impact sites, and Ukraine's State Ecological Inspectorate assessed soil damage at almost UAH 20 billion for pollution and over UAH 1,169 billion for littering of land resources.
Ammonia release at Sumykhimprom (Sumy) and nitric-acid explosions at Rubizhne, 2022
On 21 March 2022 an ammonia tank at the Sumykhimprom plant in Sumy released gas; in April 2022 explosions at a grain-elevator complex in Rubizhne sent nitrogen-oxide plumes into the air. Ukraine's Prosecutor General notified five Russian officers of suspicion over the Sumy release; Russia's Ministry of Defence gave a different account.
Azovstal, Mariupol and the Sea of Azov, 2022–
The Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol was heavily damaged during the siege of April–May 2022. CEOBS cites pre-war studies that named its wastewater as the largest single pollution source into the Sea of Azov; no post-2022 water data is on record, and Metinvest's applications to the ECHR state no amounts.
German ministry links Oder fish die-off to salt discharges and toxic algae
About 1,000 t of aquatic life died in the Oder in 2022, which the German environment ministry linked to salt discharges that fed a toxic alga. In 2023 AP reported that Germany alleged Poland had not stopped the pollution, and the cited sources give no measured recovery of the river.
US Defense Department PFAS costs top USD 9.3 billion at 718 installations
The US Government Accountability Office reported that Defense Department PFAS costs reached USD 9.3 billion or more and tripled since 2022. None of the 718 installations is yet in long-term cleanup, while the Department promotes its land as a refuge for wildlife.
3M agrees to pay 571 million euros for Zwijndrecht PFOS clean-up
3M agreed to pay the Flemish government 571 million euros to clean up PFOS pollution at Zwijndrecht, Belgium. 3M has appealed a Flemish decree governing cleanup of gardens, farmland, natural areas and waterways, so what is at stake for nature is PFOS in soil and water.
X-Press Pearl ship disaster (Sri Lanka)
The ship X-Press Pearl, carrying chemicals and plastic pellets, was lost off Colombo in 2021. A London court limited the owners' liability to about £20 million; Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ordered an interim US$1 billion, which had not been paid at the latest report.
Ogijo battery recycling lead poisoning (Nigeria)
Journalists' blood and soil tests around lead smelters in Ogijo, Nigeria, found widespread lead poisoning; the smelters' lead went through a trader to a US battery maker. Authorities closed the plants in November 2025 and plants reopened from February 2026.
Holcim Geocycle and brand-cement plastic co-processing
Holcim's waste unit Geocycle burns plastic and other waste as fuel in cement kilns, and Holcim describes the material it processes as recycled. Reuters reported in 2021 that the plant partnerships with consumer brands were growing, and that the US Environmental Protection Agency had found no meaningful climate benefit from burning plastic instead of coal in kilns.
Japan plastic waste exports to Asia
Japan exported 683,000 tonnes of plastic waste in 2024, almost all of it to East and Southeast Asia. Japan's reported recycling rate counts a large share of that export.
California v. ExxonMobil: plastics recycling claims and the Baytown plant
ExxonMobil describes plastic waste processing at its Baytown, Texas plant as advanced recycling. In September 2024 California's attorney general sued the company, alleging that 92% of the waste processed there becomes fuel; ExxonMobil sued the attorney general for defamation.
Dow to cut air pollution at four US chemical plants under Clean Air Act settlement
A January 2021 Clean Air Act settlement covers flaring at four Dow plants in Texas and Louisiana. It includes about $294M in pollution controls; the cited sources do not say what the flaring released.
Dutch prosecutors declined to charge DuPont over Dordrecht birth-defect complaints
Forty-four women workers alleged that the solvent dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at the Dordrecht plant caused miscarriages and birth anomalies; prosecutors declined to prosecute DuPont in 2021. A large criminal investigation into Chemours, called Dahlia, was well advanced in February 2026, according to the Dutch prosecution service.
Nestlé Waters: banned treatments and the Vittel aquifer deficit
A 2025 French Senate report said Nestlé Waters used prohibited treatments on water sold as natural mineral water and that the state concealed it. In 2024 the company closed the Épinal investigations into the treatments and into alleged drilling without authorisation with a €2 million judicial public-interest agreement. A judicial investigation opened in Paris in 2025 after a Foodwatch complaint remains open.
PFAS insurance disputes (3M, Chemours, DuPont)
Companies facing PFAS settlements worth billions of dollars have turned to their liability insurers. US courts have so far ruled both ways on whether pollution exclusions bar cover, and the largest case, AIG v. 3M, is pending.
IMIP nickel waste landslides and Obi island (Indonesia)
Nickel-waste storage at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park collapsed in March 2025, killing three subcontract workers, and a further landslide killed one worker in February 2026. On Obi Island, residents of Kawasi village and an OCCRP-led investigation reported chromium-6 readings above Indonesia's drinking-water limit near a nickel smelter; the operator disputes the findings.
W.R. Grace, Libby asbestos and Maryland Casualty
In Libby, Montana, a jury in 2022 awarded USD 36.5 million against Maryland Casualty, W.R. Grace's workers' compensation insurer and safety adviser, in a bellwether asbestos trial. The judge found the insurer knew of the risk and urged Grace to conceal reports.
Bien Hoa dioxin cleanup and Agent Orange suit (Tran To Nga)
A French lawsuit by Tran To Nga against Agent Orange manufacturers was found inadmissible in 2021 and 2024; in July 2026 the Court of Cassation referred her appeal to its plenary assembly.
Ethylene oxide in Indian sesame (EU recalls)
Sesame seed exported from India was found to have been treated with ethylene oxide, a fumigant, and was recalled in Europe from 2020. The cited sources give few verified details.
India fly ash utilisation and the Singrauli ash dam breach
India's official figures count about 96% of fly ash as utilised. In 2021–22, 13.14% of that was low-lying area filling, a term without a definition. In April 2020 an ash dam breached in Singrauli and six people died.
Avacha Bay marine die-off, Kamchatka, autumn 2020
In September and October 2020 the water off Khalaktyrsky beach in Avacha Bay discolored and dead marine animals washed ashore. A study co-authored by Russian Academy of Sciences Vice-President Andrei Adrianov described a Karenia algal bloom; Greenpeace Russia and others pointed to the Kozelsky pesticide landfill and military ranges. The money on record is the budget for clearing the landfill.
Smelter emissions in Kazakhstan: fines and investment pledges at Kazzinc, Kazakhmys and ERG
Regulators fined metallurgical plants of Kazzinc, Kazakhmys and the ERG group in East Kazakhstan, Karaganda and Pavlodar regions between 2020 and 2026, while the operators announced environmental investment programmes, including more than KZT 108 billion at Kazzinc and KZT 128 billion for ERG's transition to best available techniques.
Mazut burning in Iranian power plants, 2020–2025
When gas runs short in winter, Iranian power plants burn mazut, a high-sulfur heavy fuel oil. The Ministry of Petroleum reported 4.941 billion litres delivered to power plants between 22 October 2024 and 31 January 2025, up 53% on the year before; the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary said five former managers were convicted over non-enforcement of the Clean Air Law.
Italy fined Eni 5 million euros over ads calling Diesel+ green
Italy's Competition and Market Authority fined Eni 5 million euros in January 2020 over advertising its Diesel+ fuel as green. Transport & Environment linked the case to palm-oil biofuel, and the cited sources do not state the outcome of the fine.
Dutch PFAS soil limit, 2019
In July 2019 the Dutch government set a PFAS limit of 0.1 microgram per kilogram for soil moved to agricultural and nature land. The national health institute RIVM states that this value is a measurement limit, not a risk threshold.
Coca-Cola World Without Waste targets reset
In 2018 The Coca-Cola Company set packaging goals under its World Without Waste programme. In December 2024 it removed its 25% reusable-packaging target and its virgin-plastic reduction goal and lowered its recycled-content and collection targets, moving them to 2035.
Wolverine World Wide PFAS, Rockford (Michigan)
Wolverine World Wide, whose Rockford, Michigan operations are linked in the cited sources to tannery PFAS from Scotchgard, sued its legacy insurers in December 2018. A federal court held in 2021 that they owed a duty to defend.
Coca-Cola plastic pledges and brand audits
Coca-Cola pledged in 2018 to collect a bottle or can for each one it sold by 2030. In December 2024 it revised its goals, while brand audits counted its products as the largest share of branded plastic waste.
Malaysia imported plastic waste crisis (Jenjarom)
After China largely closed its doors to plastic waste in January 2018, imports into Malaysia rose and unlicensed plastic-burning plants opened around Jenjarom. In January 2020 Malaysia sent 150 containers back to 13 countries.
EU banned-pesticide exports
Exports from EU countries of pesticides banned in EU fields rose from about 81,000 tonnes in 2018 to about 122,000 tonnes in 2024, according to Public Eye, despite a 2020 Commission pledge.
Halmahera nickel complex (IWIP, Weda Bay) and the Hongana Manyawa
Nickel mines and smelters on the Indonesian island of Halmahera overlap the territory of the Hongana Manyawa, some of whom live without contact with the outside world. Climate Rights International and other groups report forest clearance, river pollution and health effects; companies dispute parts of the account.
Artisanal gold in Mali: mercury use and its money (Minamata National Action Plan)
Mali's 2020 National Action Plan under the Minamata Convention records about 33.3 tonnes of mercury used a year in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, a sector that earns about 729 billion FCFA a year, with mercury sold in 10 g balls at 1,500–2,000 FCFA.
Duke Energy coal ash cleanup cost recovery (North Carolina)
Duke Energy's coal ash cleanup in North Carolina was estimated at $8 to 9 billion. Regulators allowed part of the cost to be recovered from customers, and a January 2021 settlement with the state attorney general kept about $1.1 billion off customer bills.
Duke Energy coal ash insurance dispute
In 2017 Duke Energy sued about 30 insurers over coverage for coal ash cleanup liabilities estimated at $5.1 billion. Settlements with 23 insurers brought in about $418 million by August 2021; regulators separately allowed part of the cost to be passed to customers.
Talnakh Concentrator tailings facility: wastewater pumped onto the tundra, 2017–2020
Wastewater from the Talnakh Concentrator tailings facility near Norilsk was pumped onto the tundra in June 2020, after earlier discharges recorded from 2017. In July 2024 five people were charged under Article 246 of the Criminal Code; no court outcome is on record.
Iran's Clean Air Law and urban air pollution in Tehran and Ahvaz
A parliamentary commission found 22 of the 2017 Clean Air Law's 57 articles weakly implemented in 2023. The Health Ministry attributed 58,975 deaths among people over 30 to PM2.5 in the Iranian year 1403 and put the economic loss at about US$17.2 billion; the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary said five former managers were convicted of dereliction of duty under the law.
Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup plan (Willamette River, Oregon)
In 2016 the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed dredging 150 acres of the Portland Harbor Superfund site and leaving 1,876 acres to monitored natural recovery. Its January 2017 decision chose active cleanup of 365 acres and natural recovery for about 1,774 acres.
Volkswagen diesel emissions case
Volkswagen said the diesel emissions case had cost it €31.3 billion in fines and settlements by March 2020. Of a €1 billion payment ordered in Germany in 2018, €5 million was labelled a fine.
Chemours spin-off liabilities
DuPont spun off Chemours in 2015, and DuPont's PFAS liabilities were transferred to the new company. Chemours, DuPont and Corteva have since settled PFAS claims under cost-sharing arrangements, and Chemours has sued DuPont over how the liabilities were divided.
DuPont, Chemours and Corteva: PFAS cost-sharing and water-system settlement
In 2021 DuPont, Corteva and Chemours agreed to share the costs of legacy PFAS claims. In 2023 the three companies agreed to a US$1.185 billion fund for US public water systems, and further settlements with Ohio and New Jersey followed. The companies deny the allegations.
Dicamba drift (Bader Farms) and EPA re-registration
A peach grower, Bader Farms, won a jury verdict over dicamba drift from Monsanto and BASF products. Courts vacated the over-the-top dicamba registration in 2020 and 2024, and the EPA re-registered it in February 2026.
K+S: Werra salt discharge and Monte Kali
The potash company K+S discharges saline wastewater into the Werra river in Germany and is seeking a permit to continue until 2039. It also holds a salt heap of about 150 million tonnes at Monte Kali.
Volkswagen, Audi and Daimler diesel fines (Germany)
In 2018 German prosecutors issued administrative fine orders of 1 billion euros to Volkswagen and 800 million euros to Audi over diesel emissions. In each order 5 million euros was the fine and the rest was the recovery of economic benefit.
US coal ash ponds, groundwater contamination and EPA delay
A 2022 report found that 91% of US power plants with coal ash ponds were contaminating groundwater. In February 2026 the deadline for groundwater monitoring at such sites was reported extended to 2031.
Nornickel Sulphur Programme: SO2 targets, spending and measured emissions at Norilsk and Kola
Nornickel has published successive SO2 reduction targets and investment totals for its Norilsk and Kola smelters since 2015. Company-reported Norilsk emissions were 1,146 kt in 2025 against 1,854 kt in 2015; NASA's satellite catalogue lists different values for the same years.
Indonesia's Supreme Court orders Wilmar to pay Rp 11.88 trillion
Indonesia's Supreme Court overturned an acquittal in a crude palm oil export permit case and ordered Wilmar to pay Rp 11.88 trillion. Between 2015 and 2023 palm groups led by Wilmar received the largest share of a Rp 179 trillion biodiesel subsidy.
Chinese courts convict 49 over Tianjin port warehouse explosion
An explosion at a hazardous-chemicals warehouse in Tianjin port killed more than 165 people in 2015. In November 2016 ten courts convicted 49 people, and the cited sources do not describe the blast's environmental effects.
Río Sonora copper sulphate spill and repair fund
In August 2014 about 40,000 cubic metres of acidic copper sulphate solution from a Grupo México mine entered the Sonora River in Mexico. A fund committed at 2,000 million pesos was closed in 2017 after about 1,000 million had been deposited; the Supreme Court later held the closure invalid, and in February 2026 the federal government said 500 of an agreed 1,500 million pesos had been deposited.
Proton-M crash at Baikonur, 2 July 2013: Kazakhstan’s KZT 13.69bn damage claim against Russia
A Proton-M rocket crashed seconds after launch from Baikonur on 2 July 2013 and spilled roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and kerosene. Kazakhstan claimed 13,690,747,305 tenge from Roscosmos; in February 2016 a Kazakh vice-minister said the talks had ended without any sum being determined.
Harita Nickel, Kawasi chromium-6 water and sago loss (Obi Island)
An April 2025 investigation reported chromium-6 in Kawasi village’s drinking-water source above Indonesia’s limit, next to Harita Group’s nickel operations on Obi Island. Harita disputes the findings; a 2026 report recorded a fall in sago palm area in the district.
Major agrochemical firms buy biological input makers and sell organic-approved lines
Syngenta, Bayer and Corteva have bought biological input makers or sold products approved for organic farmers, including Syngenta’s 2020 purchase of Valagro and Bayer’s 2012 purchase of AgraQuest. The cited sources do not say how these deals changed sales of chemical pesticides, which is what is at stake for soil and water.
1,4-dioxane in Tide: Prop 65 settlement and New York limit
1,4-dioxane forms as a by-product when laundry-detergent surfactants are made, and does not appear on labels. The EPA revised its risk determination in November 2024; a 2011 test of Tide, a 2013 California settlement and New York limits are reported but not yet verified.
Orinoco Mining Arc: decree, state gold business and measured harm
A February 2016 presidential decree opened a 111,843.70 km² zone south of the Orinoco to state-led mining of gold, diamonds, coltan, iron and bauxite. UN bodies reported an expansion of mining outside authorisation, mercury exposure among downstream Indigenous communities and no published environmental budget.
Kolontár red mud spill (Hungary)
A red mud reservoir failed on 4 October 2010, killing 10 people. The operator's liability cover was HUF 10m (or HUF 20m by the chairman's early account), against damage reported at about HUF 35bn.
Permian produced water discharge and North Dakota brine spills
Oilfield wastewater, known as produced water, has grown about 30-fold in the Permian Basin since 2010, and most of it is injected underground. In North Dakota, brine spills have recurred every year, and the land they damaged has never been calculated.
AdBlue cartel (Daimler, BMW, VW)
Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen coordinated the dosing of AdBlue, the fluid used to clean diesel exhaust. The European Commission fined VW and BMW 875 million euros in total; Daimler reported the cartel and was not fined.
UK packaging recycling notes (PRN) system and fraud cases
The UK counts packaging recycling through tradable notes, which producers buy to meet recycling obligations and which exporters obtain for waste sent abroad. The National Audit Office found in 2018 that half of the recycling the notes subsidised was exported, with no check on what happened to the waste on arrival; later cases include a note-fraud conviction and arrests.
Roundup litigation, settlements and legal shield (Bayer/Monsanto)
Bayer announced settlements of up to $10.9 billion (2020) and up to $7.25 billion (2026) over Roundup cancer claims. In June 2026 the US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that federal pesticide law bars state-law claims that require a cancer warning on the label.
GE ran a 'Let Nature Clean Up the Hudson' campaign against EPA dredging
General Electric discharged about 1 million pounds of PCBs into the Hudson River, and dredging removed contaminated sediment from 2009 to 2015. Fish advisories remain, so the stake for nature is the river's fish and sediment recovery.
GenX chemical found in Cape Fear River, a DuPont and Chemours replacement for PFOA
GenX, a replacement for PFOA, averaged 631 parts per trillion in the Cape Fear River in 2016, and conventional treatment could not remove it. DuPont and Chemours dispute the 2021 EPA finding that it is more toxic than previously thought.
Tyson and Sanderson Farms 'no antibiotics' label cases
Two US poultry producers faced legal challenges over 'no antibiotics' and '100% natural' marketing. A 2024 federal test of 'no antibiotics' beef found residues in about one-fifth of samples.
HFC-23 and SF6 Joint Implementation projects at KCKK Polymer and HaloPolymer Perm
Three Joint Implementation projects at two Russian fluorochemical sites issued 54 million emission reduction units. A 2015 study in Nature Climate Change found that waste-gas generation rose abruptly once crediting rules no longer capped it, and estimated that about 28–33 million credits were issued in excess.
Sudan gold: mercury and cyanide in mining, and the wartime gold trade
Artisanal gold mining and tailings processing in Sudan use mercury and cyanide; sampling at the Abu Hamad mining market in January 2023 measured mercury in soil up to 34.8 mg/kg. After the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in 2023, the US Treasury designated gold-linked companies and said that gold had become a source of revenue for the RSF.
Patancheru pharmaceutical effluent and Hyderabad drug resistance
A 2017 study found an antifungal at high concentration and drug-resistant bacteria in Hyderabad sewage. India proposed discharge limits for 121 antibiotics in 2020 and left them out of the 2021 final rule.
Tengizchevroil sulphur storage claims and emission fines (Kazakhstan)
Kazakh authorities pursued Tengizchevroil over open-air sulphur storage at the Tengiz field in 2007–2009 and over air emissions above permitted limits between 2011 and 2026. A damage claim of KZT 74.4 billion in 2007 was cut to KZT 37 billion by a regional economic court; administrative fines of KZT 2.8 billion (2023), KZT 639.6 million (2025) and KZT 53.7 million (2026) followed.
Chrysotile asbestos blocked from Rotterdam Convention listing by vetoes since 2006
The Rotterdam Convention secretariat and the Earth Negotiations Bulletin report that chrysotile asbestos could not be listed under the convention because five to seven countries vetoed the decision. The sources do not say which countries cast each veto.
HFC-23 destruction credits under the CDM (China, India)
The UN Clean Development Mechanism issued carbon credits for destroying HFC-23, a by-product gas of refrigerant manufacture. Records describe production of the gas rising during crediting and global emissions reaching a record in 2018.
South Pars and Assaluyeh: sulphur dioxide emissions and the pollution levy
NASA's satellite catalogue lists two sources in the Assaluyeh area at 1,284.4 and 919.6 kt of SO2 in 2025. Industry pays a pollution levy of one percent of sales that municipalities spend; Iran's Department of Environment has filed court cases against refineries and costed a US$1.2 billion improvement document.
PCB pollution and the Monsanto Anniston settlement
Monsanto settled claims by Anniston, Alabama residents over PCB pollution, reported at US$700 million. In 2025 Bayer, which owns Monsanto, sued an insurer over cover for later PCB settlements.
Plachimada Coca-Cola plant (India)
A Kerala commission assessed compensation of Rs 216 crore against Hindustan Coca-Cola for groundwater withdrawal and the distribution of cadmium-containing sludge as fertiliser at Plachimada. Down To Earth later reported that the compensation had not been paid.
Choropampa mercury spill in Peru, listed in a CAO case file
A mercury spill at Choropampa, Peru, is listed with the CAO, the IFC ombudsman. The pollutant named is mercury; the cited sources do not describe the spill's effects or any remedy.
Baikonur launch accidents 1999–2007: Kazakh claims and the compensation agreed
Russian launch accidents on Kazakh territory in 1999, 2006 and 2007 ended in settlements far below Kazakhstan’s first figures: $60.7 million demanded and $2.5 million agreed for the 2007 Proton-M crash, and $340 million first estimated against $1.1 million for the 2006 Dnepr crash.
La Oroya smelter ruling (Peru)
In March 2024 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian state responsible for pollution from the La Oroya metallurgical complex and for a lack of oversight. A separate arbitration claim of at least US$800 million by Renco against Peru was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
Baikonur lease, rocket-stage drop zones and fuel monitoring; Proton phase-out and Baiterek
Russia leases Baikonur for $115 million a year, extended to 2050 at the same rent, and its launches drop spent stages on Kazakh land. Kazakhstan’s 2018–2019 national report recorded petroleum by-products in drop-zone soils and stated that a lack of funding in 2019 prevented an environmental impact study of areas affected by fallen stages and debris.
Dutch nitrogen crisis and farm buyouts
The Netherlands cut its agricultural nitrogen surplus by 57% between 1990 and 2023, but its national institute for public health and the environment (RIVM) said in 2024 that the legal 2035 target for nitrogen-sensitive nature could not be met under current policy. By September 2026 a voluntary livestock buyout scheme had 279 finalised files.
Paraquat bans, UK production for export and Chinese exports
Switzerland banned paraquat in 1989 and the EU withdrew its approval in 2007, while paraquat continued to be made in the United Kingdom and exported. Brazil and Thailand also moved to restrict it in 2017–2019.
India's top court refuses more Bhopal compensation from Union Carbide successors
India's Supreme Court refused in March 2023 to order further Bhopal gas compensation from Union Carbide's successor companies. The 1989 settlement did not cover groundwater, and in 2025 the state paid to burn the plant's toxic waste.
Asbestos 524(g) bankruptcy trusts and J&J talc two-step
US asbestos claims are paid from trusts set up in bankruptcy under Section 524(g). A 2011 federal audit found a median payment of 25% of claim value; later, companies moved talc and asbestos claims into new entities that filed for bankruptcy.
Australian government settled PFAS claims at three defence bases and sued 3M
Australia's federal government settled class actions over PFAS foam contamination near the Katherine, Williamtown and Oakey defence bases in 2020, and later sued 3M for more than A$2bn. The sources say taxpayers have borne the cost so far, with no recovery from the foam makers reported before that suit.
Australian government settles firefighting foam suits near three military bases
The Australian Department of Defence settled class actions in 2020 over firefighting foam used at the Katherine, Williamtown and Oakey bases, which concerned losses in property value. The settlement amount reported by the Katherine Times is unconfirmed.
Shell Rocky Mountain Arsenal insurance case
Shell Oil's coverage case over the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado reached a California appeals court in 1993. The court upheld the insurers for policies with pollution exclusions and sent the 'expected damage' question back for retrial.
Sandoz Schweizerhalle fire and Rhine recovery
In November 1986 a fire at a Sandoz warehouse near Basel sent pesticides and a mercury compound into the Rhine and killed fish along about 400 kilometres. The river was later declared a living river again, but its salmon population depends on stocking.
Diamond Shamrock Lister Avenue dioxin, Passaic River
Dioxin from a chemical plant in Newark, New Jersey, was discharged into the Passaic River until at least 1969. New Jersey courts later found that the plant's insurers owed no coverage for the Newark plant claims.
Nonylphenol ethoxylates: Swiss ban and EU restriction
EU Directive 2003/53/EC restricted nonylphenol and its ethoxylates from 17 January 2005. A Swiss ban on their use in laundry detergent in the 1980s is unconfirmed in the cited sources.
DuPont PFOA (C8) at Washington Works, Parkersburg, and the Tennant farm
DuPont used PFOA to make Teflon at its West Virginia plant for more than 50 years, and drinking water in six districts was contaminated. Penalties and settlements followed from 2004 to 2025, including a 2005 US EPA penalty for failing to report risk information.
US Superfund tax and funding shortfall
The US Superfund programme, created in 1980 to clean up contaminated sites, was financed by chemical and petroleum taxes until they lapsed at the end of 1995. The taxes returned in 2022 and 2023; fiscal 2024 receipts were about $1.2 billion against an estimate of $2.5 billion.
Love Canal (New York)
Insurers of Hooker, later part of the Occidental group, went to court over Love Canal coverage from 1980. A federal court found Hooker negligent but not reckless in 1994, and Occidental paid New York State in 1994 and the US government $129 million in 1995.
3M PFOS: internal evidence, EPA penalty and Minnesota settlement
3M sold the fluorochemical PFOS until 2000. Internal studies from the 1970s found it more toxic than expected; the company told the EPA in 1998 that it had found PFOS in blood but no adverse effects in workers. An EPA charge closed in 2006 with a $1.5 million payment, and Minnesota settled for $850 million in 2018.
Lake Biwa phosphate-detergent ban
After a freshwater red tide in 1977, Shiga Prefecture banned the sale and use of phosphate-containing detergent around Lake Biwa in an ordinance of 1979–1980. The prefecture's page says the ordinance remains in force.
DuPont CFC phase-out and the ozone treaty
In February 1988 DuPont declined a request from three US senators to stop making CFCs; in late March 1988 it announced a phase-out. The Montreal Protocol's 2016 Kigali Amendment later regulated HFCs, which do not harm ozone but are potent greenhouse gases.
Arlit and Akokan uranium waste: Cominak closure, remediation provision and radioactivity measurements
The Cominak underground uranium mine in northern Niger stopped production on 31 March 2021 and left about 20 million tonnes of waste beside the towns of Arlit and Akokan. Remediation was reported at €150 million, Orano kept a €70 million provision after losing control in December 2024, and the works were suspended.
Chlordecone in the French Antilles
Chlordecone, an insecticide used on banana plantations, left lasting pollution in Guadeloupe and Martinique. The Paris Administrative Court of Appeal found the French State at fault in March 2025, while the criminal case ended in a dismissal (non-lieu) in January 2023 that the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed in June 2026.
Chlorothalonil metabolites in Swiss groundwater
Breakdown products of the fungicide chlorothalonil, used in Switzerland since the 1970s, were found in groundwater in a 2017 pilot study. The substance has been banned since 2020.
Plastic recycling symbol, resin codes and “advanced recycling” claims (United States)
In 1988 the US plastics industry's trade association placed numbered resin codes inside the recycling arrows, and about 40 states required the marking. In 2024 California sued ExxonMobil over its claims about “advanced recycling”; the company disputes the claims and has sued the state's attorney general.
Miteni PFAS contamination
Eleven former executives of the Miteni chemical plant at Trissino, Veneto, were sentenced at first instance in June 2025 to 141 years in total over PFAS contamination that affected about 350,000 people. The company, sold for €1 in 2009, went bankrupt in 2018.
Monsanto/Bayer PCB and Roundup insurance suit v AIG
In December 2025 Bayer sued the insurer AIG in St. Louis County, Missouri, over cover for more than $1.9 billion of PCB settlements and more than $10 billion of Roundup settlements. AIG's grounds for refusing are not public and the case was pending.
Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill: closure and waste clean-up
The Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill discharged treated wastewater into Lake Baikal from 1966 and stopped production in 2013 after bankruptcy proceedings. Millions of tonnes of pulp-production waste remained in storage ponds on the shore, and federal clean-up funding has been set by successive programmes since 2013.
Sören Jensen identified PCBs in 1966 while testing for DDT
Stockholm University researcher Sören Jensen found unidentified peaks in a DDT analysis in 1966 and identified them as PCBs. The sources link PCBs to harm in wildlife; the extent of that harm is not on record.
Harrison campaign against Silent Spring and Burson-Marsteller crisis PR
A public-relations executive ran the chemical industry association's campaign against Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962 and later designed the Global Climate Coalition's communications. Burson-Marsteller, now BCW, handled crisis communications and set up grassroots-style groups for several industries.
Phosphate detergents and Lake Erie eutrophication; phosphate bans
Phosphate made up 15–17% of household detergent by weight in 1969, up from 7–12% in 1959. US states, Germany and the US industry itself later limited or dropped it.
Paraquat litigation (Syngenta/Chevron) and the Paraquat Papers
Plaintiffs in the United States allege that the weed killer paraquat causes Parkinson's disease. Internal company documents released through litigation and published in 2022 and 2023 recorded decades of company findings on paraquat and the brain and efforts to influence science and regulators. By July 2026 more than 8,000 federal cases were pending and none had gone before a jury; Syngenta had settled without admitting liability and announced it would end Gramoxone sales.
Ogoniland and Bodo spills clean-up (SPDC, HYPREP)
In 2011 the UN Environment Programme assessed oil contamination in Ogoniland, Nigeria, and recommended a clean-up it estimated at 25 to 30 years, with US$1 billion for the first five years. Later reports describe a delayed clean-up, disputes over contractors and the cause of spills, and the 2025 sale of Shell's onshore subsidiary SPDC.
Montrose DDT insurance case
Montrose Chemical, a DDT producer, sued its liability insurers in California over cover for the contamination its operations caused. The state Supreme Court ruled against the insurers in 1995 and again in 2020, and the industry then added a clause to exclude damage known before a policy.
Ventron/Morton mercury, Berry's Creek
A mercury-processing plant in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, discharged effluent into Berry's Creek between 1929 and 1974. In 1993 the New Jersey Supreme Court sided with 21 insurers that had been sued over cleanup cover.
Indian indigo area and exports fell sharply, 1895 to 1956
India Environment Portal records that Indian indigo cultivation and exports fell sharply between 1895 and 1956. At stake for nature is where the released land went and where the chemical load of synthetic indigo fell, which the cited sources do not establish.
Owino Uhuru lead poisoning (Mombasa, Kenya)
A record of lead poisoning at Owino Uhuru, Mombasa, with a compensation award reported to have been overturned on appeal in 2023. Few details are stated in the cited sources.
Netherlands Q fever outbreak and goat sector growth
A Q fever outbreak linked to goats in the Netherlands was followed by culls and by growth in the goat population to more than 600,000 by 2019. Reporting on compensation for patients and families describes a maximum payment of EUR 15,000.
Hunter River salt discharges are shared through a 1,000-credit trading scheme
Salt discharges into the Hunter River in New South Wales are linked to river flow and shared through credit trading. The cited sources do not report the scheme's effect on river salinity.
Panama asks US to clean up chemical weapons and munitions it left behind
Panama has asked the United States to clean up chemical weapons and munitions it left on an island, and is having the work done with its own budget. The cited sources do not state the cost, the exact sites or the extent of the contamination.
Jiangsu court did not make chemical firms pay for Changzhou land cleanup
A Jiangsu appeal ruling in the Changzhou poisoned-land case left remediation to the state rather than the chemical companies. Reported land sales and school illnesses are unconfirmed.