Medical results published on Tuesday (7 October) show that all EU officials tested have the so-called 'forever chemicals' in their bloodstream.
Among the officials tested was EU environment commissioner Jessika Roswall and Peter Javorčík director-general for transport, energy, environment and education.
For half of the 24 officials, the contamination exceeded the point at which health impacts are considered possible.
The experiment happened during an unofficial council meeting in July, where the Danish ministry of environment and gender equality called on 32 officials to get tested for PFAS in their blood. Ultimately, 24 participated in the blood test. It was one of the first initiatives by the Danish government during their presidency in the European Council.
Forever chemicals are man-made PFAS chemicals dubbed for their high persistence in the environment. The technical name is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Often, they are found in cosmetics or outdoor clothing as well as in packaging, electronical devices or pans.
ChemSec, a Swedish non-profit organization, says that PFAS can now be found in the bloodstream 99 percent of the world’s population. The result of the study on EU officials thus is not surprising.
The risks associated with toxic forever chemicals range from cardiovascular diseases to cancer, asthma, liver damage and infertility.
In nature PFAS have been found in water, soil and air.
Chemsec puts the price of EU-wide cleanup costs at up to €2 trillion over the next two decades, plus €52-84bn annually in health expenses. and strong regulatory measures would offer a feasible and economical way to prevent additional pollution.
Six of the 13 PFAS tested are already regulated in the EU – under the EU POPs Regulation or the REACH Regulation.
The commission previously announced it would introduce a new chemicals industry package that will “simplify" REACH regulations and “clarify” policies on PFAS substances.
This targeted revision of REACH is scheduled for the last quarter of 2025 as part of the commission's Omnibus agenda.
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Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.
Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.