reuters.com
www.reuters.com

Summary

The EU plans to ban PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in consumer products due to their environmental persistence and health risks, with exemptions for essential industrial uses like asthma inhalers and semiconductors.

PFAS are widely used in items such as non-stick pans and cosmetics but are linked to health issues like cancer and liver damage.

The ban is unlikely before 2026 as exemptions are finalized.

Litigation risks over PFAS are rising, with U.S. companies already paying over $11 billion in settlements for water contamination. European firms may face similar lawsuits.

  • solo@slrpnk.netEnglish
    91·
    11 hours ago

    Relevant site:

    The Forever Pollution Project - Journalists tracking PFAS across Europe

    In January 2025, the Forever Lobbying Project exposes the lobbying and disinformation campaign orchestrated by the chemical and plastic lobbies to prevent the ban of these “forever chemicals” in the European Union. Fighting to keep their “chemical business as usual” with misleading, scaremongering arguments, polluting industries are shifting the burden of environmental contamination onto society, threatening the economic stability of European nations.

    Working with 18 experts, the project calculated the cost of decontaminating Europe if nothing is done to combat PFAS emissions: the figure is more than €100 billion per year – and a staggering €2 trillion over twenty years.