A group of 24 European politicians whose blood was tested for toxic PFAS chemicals over the summer all had the substances in their bodies, the NGOs involved in the testing revealed Tuesday.
“I tested positive for four substances, and three of them can harm unborn children, act as endocrine disruptors, cause liver damage, and are suspected of being carcinogenic,” said Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke in a written statement, describing his results as a “frightening reality.”
It is “crucial that we take strong action against PFAS pollution so that we are no longer continuously exposed to these harmful chemicals,” he added.
PFAS substances, commonly known as forever chemicals, don’t break down naturally and have been shown to accumulate in the environment and cause a host of health problems, including cancer, liver damage and decreased fertility. Most people in the world have some level of PFAS in their blood.
For half of the EU leaders tested, contamination reached levels where health impacts are possible, according to the European Environmental Bureau and ChemSec. One person had levels indicating a potential risk of long-term health effects.
The test results come days after the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights Marcos Orellana slammed Brussels for proposing to dilute several chemical protection laws to help boost European industry.
Denmark orchestrated the group test during a meeting of EU environment ministers in the northern Danish city of Aalborg in July. The country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU and is one of five European countries that sent a joint proposal to the European Commission to phase out thousands of PFAS chemicals under EU chemicals law back in 2023.
That proposal — currently in the hands of the European Chemicals Agency — has come under fire from industry groups, many of which are calling for exemptions to the proposed law.
Tested politicians included EU Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall, outgoing French Ecological Transition Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher and Federal German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider.
“Like many other citizens across Europe, I have PFAS in my body,” said Roswall in a written statement. “I tested positively on 6 out of 13 PFAS, including some that are classified as toxic for reproductive health. PFAS pollution is a vital public health issue.”
The results of one of the test participants — Executive Director of the European Environment Agency Leena Ylä-Mononen — showed a decline in PFAS levels since she last had her blood tested, “reflecting trends observed among the European population for restricted PFAS.”
Roswall has stated that the Commission will propose phasing out consumer uses of PFAS and exempt certain critical industries, which are yet to be defined. PFAS are involved in the production processes of several sectors, including semiconductors, batteries and pharmaceuticals.
Those promises of exemptions have worried environmental groups, which are hoping for a wide-reaching phase-out of the chemicals.
In a written statement on the tests, ChemSec’s Anne-Sofie Bäckar called for a “universal ban on all PFAS — not just in consumer products — before another generation pays the price for industry’s delay.”
The Commission is expected to release its revision of the major chemicals regulation, REACH, this year, although the timeline is uncertain. The EU institutions are also working on a separate Commission proposal to simplify a set of EU laws spanning cosmetics, fertilizer and chemical classification regulations in a “chemicals omnibus” bill.
U.N. Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights Marcos Orellana last week said the proposal risked undermining the European Union’s credibility as a “global leader in green policy and the rule of law.”
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