The (un)making of a toxic event

Abstract

Slow violence refers to forms of violence that are gradual, incremental, and often invisible, but which have long-term effects on the environment, public health, and social structures (Nixon 2011). Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals, which are widely used in everyday products such as textiles, food packaging, cosmetics and fire-fighting foam to make them dirt‑, grease- and water-repellent (Duffek et al. 2020). These so-called forever chemicals are highly persistent and accumulate in the environment, food chains and human organisms (BfR 2021). Being exposed to PFAS is an example of slow violence, as the health effects of exposure to these chemicals may not become apparent for years or even decades after initial exposure (Renfrew and Pearson 2021). Knowing pollution is a prerequisite for accountability and justice, however it is often contested. Therefore, this contribution traces how PFAS pollution is made visible in Germany and discusses the conditions of making contamination a “toxic event”, through which it becomes an issue for (regulatory and political) action (Barry 2017).