EU environment ministers had their blood tested for forever chemicals. In all of them, some were found, including the German Minister Carsten Schneider.
afp/ | In a test for so-called forever chemicals, harmful PFAS substances were detected in the blood of 24 European top politicians. Among them were the German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) and the Swedish EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall.
“Like many other EU citizens, I have PFAS in my body,” Roswall said. The test result strengthens her determination to ban PFAS in everyday products. The chemicals are widespread in groundwater across the EU. In half of the tested politicians, PFAS concentrations were detected that could harm their health.
The levels in all the politicians were high enough that follow-up testing is recommended according to the guidelines of the US National Academies. The tests stem from an initiative of the organization European Environmental Bureau.
Some PFAS are already banned
PFAS are per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances that are synthetically produced. They are water- and grease-repellent and therefore appear in many everyday products such as non-stick pans, functional clothing, and disposable packaging. PFAS are called forever chemicals because they are biologically non-biodegradable and accumulate in the environment and in humans.
Studies indicate that some of the chemicals can damage the liver and the immune system in humans, reduce the effectiveness of vaccinations and fertility, and can cause cancer. A number of the thousands of PFAS compounds known worldwide are already banned in the EU. Brussels, however, can only ban individual subgroups. These are often subsequently replaced in industry by similar PFAS.
Environmental and consumer-protection groups have therefore long demanded a comprehensive PFAS ban. The EU Commission had announced years ago a reform of the EU chemicals regulation, but has not yet presented a legislative proposal. A draft of such a proposal had failed in September at an internal review body of the Commission. The reviewers had demanded a more precise assessment of the reform’s impact, Roswall said. “We are working on that now.”
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