Pfas, a group of harmful substances, must be banned as a whole in the European Union from 2025. Five member states, led by the Netherlands, state this. Currently, companies can still circumvent restrictions.
Whether there will be a European ban on Pfas remains to be seen. But the proposal presented in Brussels on Tuesday by the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden is groundbreaking. It assumes a ban of 10,000 chemical compounds as a group and not per individual substance.
If the European Commission adopts the proposal, the production, sale and use of Pfas (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) will be banned throughout the European Union from 2025. Companies are given one and a half to twelve years to look for alternatives. But whether it comes to that depends on a complicated process involving European participation and politics.
Three years ago, the Netherlands and Germany took the first steps towards a kind of initiative bill, although the EU does not know of such a means. The scientific basis, drawn up by RIVM and sister organizations in the four other countries, has now been published by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). This starts in March with a substantive test. This is followed by the political process that should culminate in a proposal from the Commission, which the European Parliament and the EU Member States then decide on.
Solar panels and wind turbines
Pfas is the collective name for a number of man-made chemical substances that are water and dirt repellent, such as the Teflon non-stick coating in pans, the film over a raincoat and the foam in a fire extinguisher. They are in all kinds of products, such as household items, cosmetics, mobile phones, solar panels, wind turbines and medical devices.
They are nicknamed ‘eternal chemicals’ because they hardly degrade and accumulate in the environment. In October, RIVM warned against excessive amounts of Pfas in tap water, although the institute emphasized that the water is still safe. There are also indications that various substances are carcinogenic and pose a risk to human and animal health.
Cheese of exceptions
By banning the substances as a group, the five countries want to prevent companies from substituting one harmful substance for another if there is only an individual ban, without changing their production. For example, Chemours in Dordrecht replaced the banned substance Pfoa in 2018 with so-called GenX substances, which break down just as badly. In the proposal, companies must look for environmentally friendly alternatives.
On behalf of more than a hundred organizations, Stichting Tegengif last week called on Secretary of State Vivianne Heijnen (infrastructure and water management) to ban ‘forever chemicals’. Heijnen immediately sent the initiative proposal to the House of Representatives on Tuesday. ‘My commitment is to put an end to the advance of Pfas in our living environment in one fell swoop. That is important for our health, that of future generations and a cleaner environment,’ writes the State Secretary.
In Brussels, GroenLinks immediately criticized: banning Pfas would not go fast enough. In addition, plant protection products, biocides and medicines are excluded from the proposal because they have their own European assessment. GroenLinks warns: the proposal will lead to ‘a Swiss cheese of exceptions’.
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