European Union Could Drop PFAS Ban Commitment Following Chemical Industry Pressure
European officials appear to be siding with industrial operations over regulatory plans that could impact a prominent wastewater and drinking water contaminant.
“The European Commission is poised to break a promise to outlaw all but the most essential of Europe’s hazardous chemicals, leaked documents show,” according to The Guardian. “It was expected that between 7,000 and 12,000 hazardous substances would be prohibited from use in all saleable products in an update to the EU’s Reach regulation, including many ‘forever chemicals’ — or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).”
The “European Green Deal” had been established in 2020, and it called for a ban of harmful chemicals in consumer products. Naturally, this would include regulations on PFAS, which have become pervasive throughout the world, often through their presence in industrial wastewater, and have been linked to harmful health effects when consumed through drinking water.
But now, these leaked documents have revealed that EU leadership may go back on that commitment and regulate only a proportion of the hazardous substances following pressure from chemical companies.
“The industry-led backlash is causing internal disquiet over the threat to public health and policymaking,” The Guardian reported. “(An EU official) said: ‘The feeling in the commission is almost like it’s a given that we cannot create too much trouble for industry — irrespective of the public health benefits — and that companies suffer a lot from our regulations on chemicals, so we should try to be easier on them.’”
Stateside, similar battles from chemical producers have challenged efforts to regulate the presence of PFAS in drinking water, though they have not been successful in preventing the introduction of new limits. But even as PFAS producers are held financially responsible for the contamination in the U.S., financial questions about enforcing new limits still linger.
As the regulatory battle against PFAS rages on in the U.S., a failure to hold chemical manufacturers accountable in Europe would be worth keeping an eye on. As the U.S. EPA struggles with a crisis of confidence, it can hardly afford to disappoint consumers even as its counterpart abroad might soon do so.
“Although the European Commission has promised to ban all but the most essential of the hazardous chemicals found in commonly used products in Europe, a new report by The Guardian indicates that they are prepared to break that promise,” per Salon. “If they do so, it will continue a pattern of government regulators failing to adequately monitor businesses that release potentially hazardous chemicals into the environment.”
To read more about how drinking water and wastewater treatment operations in the U.S. seek to comply with contamination limits visit Water Online’s Regulations And Legislation Solutions Center.