European States Propose a Ban on Harmful Chemicals to Protect European Consumers

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News Reporter Cian McCrory reveals the effects of forever chemicals in your daily goods and the policies being made by the European Union in response

The Irish government, in conjunction with other European nations such as Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway have proposed to ban ‘forever chemicals.’ 

The chemicals perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl, dubbed as PFAS, are harmful chemicals used in everyday industrial processing. You may find PFAS in many of your daily consumer products in food packaging, nonstick cookware, and electronics and textiles. The issue with these chemicals and why they are labelled as ‘forever chemicals’ is the inability of these compounds to break down. 

Studies within the last decade have shown that there are harmful effects on people involving complications with an individual’s hormonal, reproductive, and immune systems, along with carcinogenic effects once in contact with these chemicals. Without much light being shed on the subject until recent years, the expansion of these chemicals has become rapid and widespread, thus many companies rely on these chemicals in their industrial production such as Pfizer and Intel. 

These companies, in the wake of hearing the news of the proposed ban by the European Union and Irish government, are threatening to pull out of all collaborating countries. Without an alternative, these companies have stated that it is vital these chemicals are allowed in manufacturing, and without them, they would have no choice but to pull out of these markets. 

Pfizer stated, “Investment would more likely flow to outside the EU, where no such ban is applicable, such as to the USA or Singapore.” 

Despite the aggressive stance of these corporations, it has also led to further research into the study. Corporations are beginning to open up to public consultations in the hope that an agreement can be worked out. The Member State Committee of the European Chemicals Agency states they are considering private corporations' inputs and data in their own recommendations, but the larger question remains if the ban is a viable economic option. 

Cleaning up and ridding Europe of PFAS alone is reported as costing up to almost €2 trillion euro, yet the impact of these corporations leaving vital sectors of the Irish and other European economies has public officials worrying about the financial backlash this decision could make, despite health concerns.