France made a historic move in environmental history by passing a bill to ban PFAs on February 20th – the so-called ‘forever chemicals’ found in a wide range of products from cookware to cosmetics. But why did they do this and how has the world responded?
PFA stands for perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are a group of substances widely used in manufacturing to give products waterproof or non-stick qualities. However, in the past number of years scientists have been researching the effects of these chemicals on human health, with findings that prompted the French Parliament’s unanimous decision to phase out their use. It turns out that the consumption of these chemicals can lead to a wide range of health issues, from high cholesterol to immune system weakening, and even to birth defects if consumed by pregnant mothers. To make matters worse, due to the nature of the products these chemicals coat, PFAs have found their way into the drinking water systems of many towns and cities. Due to their lengthy half lives, ‘long-chain’ PFAs will not break down for decades and so, in a similar fashion to microplastics, will only build up in our food chain and therefore our bodies until their use is halted.
Companies in France have been encouraged to begin phasing out the use of PFAs in their products to prepare for the full ban on their use in 2026, with water monitoring due to come into effect in 2030 which would incur a €100 tax per 100 grams of PFAs discharged. This ban will affect the many cosmetic and fashion industries of France, and even the food market, as many packaging products contain PFAs which contaminate food products. However, the arguably hardest hit industry and the one with the most controversial response is the cookware industry, which depends on PFAs for the selling point of their product – non-stick pans. After much protest from cookware companies, such as SEB and right wing politicians arguing that the ban will lead to job losses, cookware items were later removed from the list of products banned from using PFAs.
Scientists have been advocating for this change for years and do not plan to give up the fight for further bans, especially with the European Union considering following France’s lead to ban PFAs across Europe from as early as 2026. Research on the effects of the more than 4,000 PFAs is still ongoing. One such PFA, Perfluorooctanoic acid, which was used up to now by Teflon to make nonstick cooking products, is confirmed to cause cancer and there are still many more suspected carcinogens, although research is still in early days and has not moved fully from animal to human testing. Although it is nearly impossible to avoid consuming PFAs these days, with scientists having found them everywhere from the human bloodstream to the top of Mount Everest, experts encourage using glass over plastic where possible to store food. It is also recommended to avoid food wrapped in unnecessary plastic wrapping and to drink bottled or filtered water rather than tap. Notably, the switch from plastic to glass appliance would not only benefit human health but also the environment, creating a win-win situation with the primary cost lying in the cleaning up of past pollution and the development of PFA alternatives, which inevitably must be considered the more we learn about the damage done by forever chemicals.
It seems clear that PFAs are worth avoiding worldwide, but what has our response been in Ireland to this growing threat? When Denmark introduced a ban on PFAs in certain packaging materials in 2020, there were calls by environmental activists to do the same in Ireland. However, this issue was soon forgotten about by the media until a 2022 HSE paper on PFAs. This paper spoke of their damaging effects to human health, including details of further studies on the link between thyroid, kidney, and liver damage due to PFAs among many other studies, which concluded by addressing the need for more research in this area. The paper explained that due to their strong abilities to bind to substances, the key to their nonstick and waterproof quality, some PFAs may remain in the body for up to 35 years and have already found their way into our food chain due to pollution of the air and water. One section is dedicated to the European Union’s response, including their plans to monitor waters and apply strict regulations to those areas where the safe threshold is exceeded. The document suggests that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) also plans to implement monitoring in Ireland, however there hasn’t been any significant action on this to date.
Ireland could not as easily ignore France’s plans to ban virtually all PFAs this year, with multiple sectors feeling the threat of tighter restrictions. In January of this year it was reported that both Intel and Pfizer, two companies with great influence in Ireland, sent warnings to the European Chemicals Agency threatening to leave Ireland if the proposed PFA ban is implemented across Europe. The firms appeared to feel the pressure when Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway all demonstrated interest in the ban. The companies threatened to bring their business to countries which are free from plans for the ban, such as the USA or Singapore. Both Intel and Pfizer are American companies and notably the USA had already been planning a more USA-based manufacturing future under the presidential rule of Donald Trump, regardless of environmental concerns. It remains undecided whether Ireland will cave under the pressure of profit or take the health and safety concerns of its citizens seriously.
