Listen: With EU politicians contaminated with PFAS, will Brussels finally act?

Over the summer, a group of 24 European politicians, ministers, commissioners, senior officials, agreed to have their blood tested for toxic PFAS chemicals. The results that now came out showed that every single one of them tested positive. But will these results push Brussels to act or to water down its own rules again?

Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.

EUobserver is proud to have an editorial partnership with Europod to co-publish the podcast series “Long Story Short” hosted by Evi Kiorri. The podcast is available on all major platforms.

You can find the transcript here if you prefer reading:

These are the so-called “forever chemicals”, man-made substances used to make things non-stick, waterproof, and stain-resistant. You’ll find them in outdoor clothing, cookware, cosmetics, even food packaging.

The problem is, PFAS don’t break down naturally. They linger in our water, our soil, and, as it turns out, our bodies. They’ve been linked to cancer, liver damage, fertility issues, and developmental problems.
Half of the EU politicians tested had contamination levels high enough to suggest potential health impacts. Denmark’s environment minister, Magnus Heunicke, called his results “a frightening reality.”

And EU commissioner Jessika Roswall admitted she tested positive for six types of PFAS, some known to harm reproductive health.

The testing was part of an initiative launched by Denmark during its EU Council presidency, in partnership with NGOs like the European Environmental Bureau and ChemSec. And the results confirm what scientists have warned for years: PFAS contamination spares no one.

Now ChemSec estimates that 99 percent of the global population already has PFAS in their blood. And cleaning up the contamination across Europe could cost up to €2 trillion over the next two decades, plus billions more in annual health costs.

These findings landed just as Brussels faces growing pressure to weaken parts of its chemical protection laws, supposedly to help European industry remain “competitive.” The UN’s special rapporteur on toxics, Marcos Orellana, even warned that these rollbacks risk undermining the EU’s credibility as a global green leader.

So, on one hand, we have mounting evidence that PFAS are harming people and ecosystems. On the other, we see proposals to dilute the very laws meant to protect us from them.

So, what happens now?

Five countries, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, have jointly proposed an EU-wide phase-out of thousands of PFAS chemicals. The European Chemicals Agency is currently assessing it, but industry groups are already lobbying hard for exemptions. They argue PFAS are “critical” for things like semiconductors, batteries, and pharmaceuticals, conveniently some of Europe’s most profitable sectors.

Meanwhile, NGOs are calling for a universal ban with no loopholes and no exceptions. And some results do offer hope. One official, the head of the European Environment Agency, showed a decline in PFAS levels compared to previous tests, proving that where restrictions are in place, exposure falls. So, regulation works.

The European Commission says it will propose limits on consumer uses of PFAS next year and is preparing a major revision of its chemicals law, REACH. But as with so many green files in Brussels these days, the timeline is uncertain and the politics are messy.

So, while Europe debates the definition of “acceptable risk,” the chemicals keep spreading. Into the rivers, into the food chain, and into our blood.

Maybe “forever” isn’t just a chemical property, it’s how long it’ll take Europe to clean up its own toxic mess