PFAS bill takes first step in French Parliament

7 months ago 30

The French National Assembly’s committee of Sustainable Development and country planning unanimously adopted a bill to combat the so-called forever chemicals, or PFAs, on Wednesday (27 March).

“The battle is not yet won but today we have won an important first victory against PFASs,” Nicolas Thierry, the ecologist MP who tabled the bill, said in a press release after the vote.

Per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances, or PFAS, are massively used in the chemical industry and they accumulate over time in the air, soil, river water, food, and even in the human body, hence their nickname of “forever” chemicals.

They are “extremely persistent” in our environment and our bodies, the European Environment Agency warned in a note. They can lead to serious health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility problems, and cancer.

The bill adopted by the committee comprises three articles. The first prohibits the manufacture, import, export, and marketing of products containing PFAS, subject to the availability of alternatives.

To achieve this, the text envisages a ban on kitchen utensils, ski wax, cosmetics, and clothing containing PFAS from 2026, and a general ban on all other textiles in 2030.

The second article aims to include PFAS in the parameters for monitoring drinking water while the third provides a tax on manufacturers who emit 100g, or more, of PFAS into the environment.

This is known as the “polluter pays” principle, one of the main principles of the European Union’s environmental policy. This means that polluters must bear the costs of the pollution caused by their activities, as confirmed by the European Court of Auditors.

According to Marie Toussaint, head of the list of the French Greens (Europe Écologie – Les Verts, EELV) for the EU elections, cleaning up PFAS would cost Europe €238 billion a year.

Thierry added that “this legislative victory is the fruit of transparent work and a shared determination to tackle this unprecedented health scandal”. All the political groups supported the text in committee.

The text must now be voted on at the plenary session on 4 April. If it is adopted, the Senate will then legislate on it. “I’m counting on the support and mobilisation of all the other political groups,” Thierry said.

In 2020, the European Commission published a “Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability” aimed at phasing out PFAS unless they are “proven to be essential for society”, but no action has yet been taken.

In January 2023, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden submitted a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to restrict PFAS.

“This landmark proposal by the five authorities supports the ambitions of the EU’s Chemicals Strategy and the Zero Pollution action plan. Now, our scientific committees will start their evaluation and opinion forming” Peter van der Zandt, ECHA’s director for risk assessment, said in a press release at the time.

However, Thierry complained, “this initiative is subject to a lengthy decision-making process and could, in the most favourable scenario, be completed by 2027-2028”.