Chemicals industry accused of pre-emptive strike against incoming PFAS ban

Environmental groups have launched a broadside at the chemicals industry, accusing lobbyists of a massive campaign to block planned restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) after a pan-European investigation by collaborative investigation.

PFAS, first produced in the 1940s, are used in a wide variety of products and industrial processes, from non-stick pans to semiconductor manufacturing, due to their stability, low friction and ability to repel water and fats. They have been linked to liver disease, hormonal disruption and cancer, among other diseases.

Now – two years and a day since Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden submitted a proposal for a blanket restriction of the substances with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) – the Forever Pollution Project led by newspapers such as France’s Le Monde and the Süddeutsche Zeitung in Germany has published the finding of an investigation exposing intense lobbying of EU officials and a vigorous PR campaign.

The five countries called for a blanket ban because the prevailing EU system of tackling chemical substances one by one meant that any of the handful of PFAS already banned could simply be replaced by another from the family of thousands of compounds.

ECHA’s risk assessment and socioeconomic committees are currently preparing their opinions on the proposals.

Tuesday (14 January) saw the findings of a year-long investigation by 46 journalists in 16 countries who analysed the lobbying tactics employed by the PFAS industry and allied organisations since the proposal was made. These centred around claims that there were no viable alternatives, and that a ban would destroy Europe’s industrial competitiveness and lead to the loss of millions of jobs.