How PFAS pollution
affects people’s health
across Europe

A campaign by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) to
shed light on the real-life consequences of PFAS pollution.

Exposure to PFAS is a global threat to our health and the environment

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Short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS are also called “forever chemicals” because they can take up to 1,000 years to break down in the environment while some do not break down at all.

Due to widespread use and highly mobile nature, PFAS are in our water, food, homes, and nearly all our bodies. It is estimated that some 17,000 sites are contaminated by forever chemicals around Europe and that 12,5 million Europeans are living in communities with drinking water polluted with PFAS.

Increasing scientific evidence has linked exposure to PFAS to a number of serious health impacts such as different types of cancer, thyroid disease, immune dysfunction and hormone disruption.

Recent studies also found that PFAS exposure may increase risks of being infected with and could worsen symptoms related to COVID-19.

PFAS pollution is creating a huge financial and health burden on our society. The cost of environmental remediation has been estimated to be between 821 million to 170 billion Euros for all 31 EEA countries and Switzerland combined. But local municipalities and individual families, instead of the actual polluters, are paying the price.

Veneto, Italy

The Miteni chemical plant contaminated the drinking water of over 350,000 residents with PFOA.

Key Information

In a biomonitoring study of 18,122 exposed residents, PFOA showed the highest levels (max 1,400 ng/ml) followed by PFOS and PFHxS.
Over 350,000 residents in Veneto are estimated to have been exposed to the contamination through tap water.

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Antwerp, Belgium

3M contaminated the air, soil, and blood of people living near the chemical plant with PFOS.

Key Information

As early as 2001, 3M measured PFOS levels up to 257,000 micrograms per liter in groundwater around the factory.
In 2021, the Flemish Care and Health Agency found excessive PFOS levels in the blood of more than half of the 800 citizens tested.

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Dordrecht, the Netherlands

Dupont/Chemours contaminated the air and water of 750,000 people with PFOA and GenX.

Key Information

It is estimated that 750,000 people were exposed to high levels of PFOA from the Dordrecht plant.
People were recommended not to eat vegetables or fruit coming from vegetable gardens within a radius of 1 km from the Chemours factory.

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Ronneby, Sweden

Fire-fighting foam from a military airport contaminated the drinking water and blood of local residents with several PFAS.

Key Information

Levels of PFHxS, PFOA and PFOS were up to 100–300 times higher than in Kärragården, another municipality where levels were measured.
In a 2021 study of 3,297 Ronneby residents and 226 non-residents, serum levels of PFHxS, PFOS and PFOA were 114, 135 and 6.8 ng/mL for residents, which was 135, 35 and 4.5 times higher than for the reference group.

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Korsør, Denmark

A fire-fighting training facility contaminated farming land and cattle with PFOS and PFHxS.

Key Information

PFOS was found near the firefighting training facility in a drainage channel (up to 9000 ng/l), the surrounding grass (up to 165 ng/g) and soil.
Approximately two-thirds of the participants studied within the cow grazer association had elevated PFOS (up to 553 ng/ml) and PFHxS (up to 38 ng/ml) compared to the Danish normal range.

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Lyon, France

Over 200,000 people living in the “Chemical Valley”, recognised as France’s most PFAS-polluted site to date, may have been exposed to harmful forever chemicals.

Key Information

Civil society groups and victims living near France’s “Chemical Valley” have launched legal proceedings against a local chemical manufacturer, following revelations that 3.5 tonnes of PFAS were released into the Rhône river annually for the past 12 years.
Biomonitoring tests showed high levels of PFAS in the blood and breast milk of people living in the contaminated area.

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The facts and figures behind PFAS pollution:

Short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS are also called “forever chemicals” because they can take up to 1,000 years to break down in the environment while some do not break down at all. These chemicals can be found in non-stick frying pans, food packaging, cosmetics, pesticides, waterproof clothing, and many other products you may be using on a daily basis.

Due to widespread use and highly mobile nature, PFAS are in our water, food, homes, and nearly all our bodies. It is estimated that some 17,000 sites are contaminated by PFAS around Europe and that 12,5 million Europeans are living in communities with drinking water polluted with PFAS.

Increasing scientific evidence has linked exposure to PFAS to a number of serious health impacts such as different types of cancer, thyroid disease, immune dysfunction and hormone disruption. Recent studies also found that PFAS exposure may increase risks of being infected with and could worsen symptoms related to COVID-19.

Vulnerable groups such as workers, young children, people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or wishing to become pregnant, immunocompromised people, and the elderly are especially at risk.

The Nordic Council of Ministers estimates that the annual health costs related to exposure to PFAS range between 52 – 84 billion Euros for Europe alone.

The remediation of PFAS-contaminated sites is extraordinarily expensive and time consuming, and in some cases cannot be done.

The cost of environmental remediation has been estimated between 821 million to 170 billion euros for all 31 EEA countries and Switzerland as of 2019.

Our demands for
EU and national
policy makers

PFAS contamination is one of the biggest health and environment threats in Europe today, which can only be addressed by an EU-wide ban of all PFAS across all uses.

Rationale: While some of the most notorious members of the PFAS family such as PFOA and PFBS have been identified as substances of very high concern by the European Chemicals Agency, the majority of PFAS chemicals are left unchecked.

Together with over 100 other civil society organisations, HEAL is calling on the European Commission and governments to #BanPFAS, by:

  • Phasing out all PFAS in consumer products by 2025
  • Completely phasing out all PFAS production and uses by 2030

Europe’s legislative system for registering and restricting chemical substances, REACH, is riddled with many deficiencies, red tape and a lack of industry accountability. Chemicals are assessed one at a time, and quickly replaced by industry with similarly harmful substances when it’s apparent a restriction or ban is on the horizon. In fact, a recent report from the European Environmental Bureau found that it normally takes officials up to 13 years and 8 months to assess hazards of a single chemical substance.

In February 2023, the EU Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published the draft proposal for an EU-wide restriction on the production and uses of thousands of PFAS. As this restriction develops over the next year, it will be crucial that EU member states constructively work together to make it a comprehensive and enforceable tool for health and environmental protection against PFAS chemicals.

Take action

Exposure to PFAS constitutes a global threat to our health and the environment.
Here is a list of things you can do to get informed and take action.

Take action /

As an individual

Exposure to PFAS constitutes a global threat to our health and the environment.

Here is a list of things you can do to get informed and take action.

Take action /

As a civil society organisation

Sign the Ban PFAS manifesto, a call for action from European civil society organisations representing public interest across health and environmental constituencies.

Sign up here

Take action /

As a health professional

Health and medical professionals have a unique role to play in spreading more awareness on PFAS contamination and health risks. Contact us to identify which practical recommendations you can make to your patients and colleagues.

Take action / As an individual

Get tested

If you live in an area with known PFAS pollution, you might be seeking ways to get tested to find out more about your own exposure levels. One way to do this is to engage in a conversation with your doctor.

Another way to find out more about your own PFAS exposure levels is by getting tested. Here are some resources that you can use:

Take action / As an individual

Talk to your doctor

If you live in an area with known PFAS pollution, talking with your doctor could help you get a better understanding of the potential short and long-term health effects of your exposure. Your doctor may also be able to help you get adequate health follow-up through specific health parameters’ checks.

But talking to your doctor about the health impacts of PFAS exposure may seem like a daunting task. The following resources might be useful for you to download and print before you talk to your doctor about your questions and concerns.

Take action / As an individual

Get in touch with your national and European representatives

For decades, regulatory action on PFAS has been slow, fragmented and overall ineffective to prevent their widespread contamination of our environment and our bodies.

But the tides are turning: a draft proposal for an EU-wide restriction on the production and uses of PFAS was published by the EU Chemicals Agency in February 2023. As this restriction develops over the next year, it will be crucial that EU member states constructively work together to make it a comprehensive and enforceable tool for health and environmental protection against PFAS.

Your elected representatives at national and European levels (Members of Parliament, Members of European Parliament, or national governments) all have an important role to play in contributing to the delivery of a protective PFAS restriction.

Write to them and ask them to keep the pressure high all throughout the development of the European-wide restriction on PFAS. Here is a template email that you can adapt, translate and send today:

Email your representative

Take action / As an individual / Get Tested

Get tested

EUROFINS laboratories network

EUROFINS is a leading international network of laboratories that commonly performs tests for the presence of chemical contaminants. They have long performed PFAS testing in various environmental media, including water, soil and feed, and in consumer products.

EUROFINS launched the first direct consumer test for PFAS presence in blood samples, called empowerDX PFAS exposure blood test (40+ compounds) and empowerDX PFAS blood test – legacy compounds.

Find out more

Take action / As an individual / Get Tested

Get tested

The European Biomonitoring Initiative

The European Biomonitoring Initiative HBM4EU has made available a map of laboratories with quality control/assurance as part of the programme or with experience in human biomonitoring. Browsing the map allows you to see which labs might be available in your country and which chemicals they test.

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FAQs

Short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS are a family of thousands of chemicals. PFAS are used in a wide variety of consumer products due to their water and stain repellency as well as numerous other properties, and can be found in non-stick frying pans, food packaging, cosmetics, pesticides, waterproof clothing, and many other products you may be using on a daily basis.

PFAS are very persistent chemicals, accumulating in our bodies and adding to our total exposure to chemicals. They are also known to accumulate and persist in our environment, with the ability for long-range transport far from their original emission points.

Often referred to as “forever chemicals”, PFAS can take up to 1,000 years to break down in the environment and some don’t break down at all.

PFAS are known for their water and stain-repellent properties and as a result, are used in a wide variety of consumer products such as food packaging, cosmetics, non-stick frying pans, and waterproof clothing as well as a variety of industrial manufacturing processes.

In recent years, an alarming and increasing number of cases of PFAS contamination have come to light. In Europe alone, The Nordic Council of Ministers estimated that about 100,000 sites are potentially emitting dangerous PFAS chemicals, polluting our health and the local environment.

Due to widespread use and highly mobile nature, PFAS are in our water, food, homes, and nearly all our bodies. These so-called forever chemicals have been detected in air, soil, drinking water, plants and animals across Europe.

Exposure to PFAS has been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia, thyroid disease, liver damage, lower birth weight and size, immune effects, and hormone disruption. Estimations show that the annual health costs related to PFAS range between 52 – 84 billion Euros for Europe alone.

Many of the most-studied PFAS persist in human tissues for years and can take decades to exit the body. PFAS cross the placenta, are detected in cord serum, and can be transmitted to newborns and infants via contaminated breast milk.

Vulnerable groups such as workers, young children, people who are pregnant, breastfeeding or wishing to become pregnant, immunocompromised people, and the elderly are especially at risk.

Increasing scientific evidence about PFAS has linked exposure to these chemicals to a number of serious health impacts such as different types of cancer, thyroid disease and hormone disruption.

PFAS are called forever chemicals because they do not degrade in the environment, rather continuously accumulate as their production continues. Due to their widespread use and highly mobile nature, PFAS are now found everywhere in our water, food homes, and nearly all our bodies.

PFAS pollution creates a huge financial and health burden on our society. It is estimated that more than 17,000 sites are contaminated by PFAS and that the annual health costs related to PFAS range between 52 – 84 billion Euros for Europe alone. But individuals, local communities and authorities, instead of the actual polluters, are paying the price.

The science is clear that nearly everyone is continuously exposed to rising numbers of PFAS. PFAS are ubiquitous in our environment, making them very difficult to avoid.

There are however a few ways you can reduce your exposure to PFAS, including but not limited to:

  • Avoid water-, grease- and stain-resistant products, including water-proof clothing, stain-resistant carpet, and grease-proof food packaging (such as fast-food packaging).
  • Replace non-stick cookware with safer alternatives, such as cast iron and stainless steel.
  • Beware of “PFOS/PFOA-free” product labels. Choose in favour of the broader, more protective “PFAS-free” label instead.

However, the only way to truly address PFAS contamination is through an EU-wide ban of all PFAS across all uses. Visit ourtake action page to find out how you can get in touch with your national and European representatives to voice your concerns.

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Get in Touch

You can find out more about our work on PFAS by visiting HEAL’s PFAS campaign page. Use this contact form if you would like to share information about PFAS pollution in your community, or in case you have any other questions.

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