As the revision of EU chemicals legislation REACH is underway, the Health and Environment Alliance urges the European Commission to uphold its commitments on safer chemicals and ensure that ambitious health protections remain at the heart of the project.
The Forever Lobbying Project investigation finds that the clean-up of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in Europe could cost 100 billion euros annually. Health-related costs for PFAS exposure are estimated to reach up to 84 billion euros annually. With these revelations, combined with the mounting scientific evidence on PFAS’ grave health impacts, it is clear that the European Commission must ensure a robust EU-wide PFAS restriction and come up with a plan to address these costs as part of the Clean Industrial Deal.
PFAS are chemical substances that are persistent and can accumulate in our bodies, negatively affecting our and future generations’ health. PFAS have been linked to various health impacts, including cancers, thyroid disease, immune dysfunction, and hormone disruption.
To begin addressing this potentially ‘forever’ problem the 2023 EU-wide PFAS restriction proposal – presented by Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and currently under assessment with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) – should align with the latest scientific evidence, be preventative, broad, and robust, and be completed without undue industry interference.
“The restriction needs to have a comprehensive scope and include all the over 14,000 PFAS chemicals and warrant industry to provide proof of control and safety for any intention to continue any PFAS use. It should not allow any PFAS use that implies direct human exposure, e.g. including PFAS use in pesticides and biocides. Any exemptions from the restriction should have strict time limits and come with thorough reporting requirements for the operator/company.” Sandra Jen, Programme Lead for Health and Chemicals at the Health and Environment Alliance states.
Access all the articles, radio and TV programmes as they are published on the Forever Lobbying Project website for more information on PFAS pollution and associated costs.
Notes:
The Forever Lobbying Project is a follow-up to the Forever Pollution Project, which was a multi-country journalistic and scientific investigation in 2023 which unveiled the scale of PFAS pollution in Europe.
HEAL follows communities’ challenges to address PFAS pollution across Europe in Belgium, France, Denmark. Italy, Sweden and the Netherlands
To learn more, join the webinar on PFAS and cancer on 23 January, 15:00 CET.
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