What’s really happening herePFAS (“forever chemicals”) are among the most persistent and toxic industrial substances known.

What’s really happening here

PFAS (“forever chemicals”) are among the most persistent and toxic industrial substances known.

In Italy, the original plant contaminated groundwater, harmed communities, and led to criminal convictions of executives.

Instead of dismantling the technology, the machinery was relocated to India, where chemical production continues—now supplying global industries like pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

So the pollution didn’t end.

It was exported.

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Why PFAS are uniquely dangerous

PFAS are not like normal industrial pollutants:

They do not break down in soil or water

They accumulate in the human body

Linked to:

Cancer

Liver and kidney damage

Hormonal disruption

Immune system suppression

Developmental problems in children

Once groundwater is contaminated, cleanup can take decades—or be practically impossible.

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The core ethical problem: pollution outsourcing

Experts worry about what’s called “regulatory arbitrage”:

> When dangerous industries move operations from countries with strict rules to countries with weaker enforcement.

This creates a brutal imbalance:

Profits stay global

Health risks stay local

Communities bear the cost, often without full information or consent

India becomes:

A manufacturing base

A testing ground

A long-term pollution sink

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Why India is especially vulnerable

Even though India has environmental laws on paper:

Enforcement is uneven

Monitoring of PFAS is extremely limited

Many PFAS are not explicitly regulated

Local populations often lack:

Access to clean alternative water sources

Legal power to challenge multinational firms

Long-term health surveillance

By the time harm is detected, the damage is already embedded in water, soil, and bodies.

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Global hypocrisy at play

There’s a hard truth here:

Europe bans or tightly restricts PFAS

Courts jail executives

But equipment and know-how are quietly exported

So the same practices deemed criminal in one country become acceptable business in another.

That’s not progress—it’s displacement.

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What experts are calling for

1. Full transparency

What chemicals are being produced?

Where is waste going?

What safeguards exist?

2. PFAS-specific regulation in India

Not generic pollution laws

Clear limits, monitoring, and liability

3. Extended producer responsibility

If a technology caused harm elsewhere, it must meet the highest global standards, not the weakest

4. Community right-to-know

Local populations must be informed and involved

Health monitoring should be mandatory.