19
Apr
2023
Watch
Keeping people healthy, water drinkable and soil liveable: getting rid of forever pollutants and strengthening EU chemical legislation now (topical debate)
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Does my rain jacket actually belong in the hazardous waste? And is the baking paper carcinogenic? These are legitimate questions that cannot be answered clearly today and which have occupied many since this news at the latest. At 1500 locations in Germany, PFAS, so-called perpetual chemicals, could be detected. Water, dirt and grease repellent – these properties ensure that we can find them everywhere: clothing, disposable packaging, even in the blood of infants and in breast milk. Forever chemicals Sounds like a good name for a band. However, it is a group of substances suspected of limiting liver and thyroid function and causing cancer. Just as eponymous as problematic: They cannot be naturally degraded. The precautionary principle should guide our chemicals policy. If there are concerns that a substance is endangering health, the problem cannot be solved – a fortiori if neither humans nor the environment can degrade these substances. The problem is actually only exacerbated by sitting out. The European Chemicals Agency needs to clarify this quickly. We need clear statements from the Commission.