A very high bill: 100 billion euros a yearwhich will become 2,000 billion in 20 years, to cleanse Europe of the “poison of the century”. This is the estimated cost of cleaning up PFAS pollution, the infamous “forever chemicals,” according to a survey by the Forever Lobbying Project. An exorbitant price that risks weighing on the shoulders of citizens, while the industry responsible for the pollution puts pressure to avoid paying the bill.
PFAS, a family of more than 10,000 man-made chemicals, are now ubiquitous in our environment. We find them in water, soil, food and even in our blood. These substances, used in myriad products from non-stick pans to cosmetics, are persistent and accumulate in living organisms, with serious health consequences. Cancer, infertility, immune and hormonal disorders are just some of the risks associated with exposure to PFAS.
A toxic legacy and a staggering bill
The Forever Lobbying Project investigation, conducted by an international team of journalists and scientists, analyzed the costs of cleaning up PFAS contamination in Europe. The team estimated a range of costs for PFAS cleanup in Europe under two different scenarios:
A phase-out of these difficult-to-clean emerging PFAS would be necessary to lower this 20-year estimate, otherwise cleanup could cost over 100 billion euros per year in perpetuity“, warns the Forever Lobbying Project.
Industry pushes to avoid regulation
While scientists are sounding the alarm, the PFAS industry is pushing to block the passage of a proposed European law that would ban the use of these substances. In February 2023, five European countries proposed one “universal restriction” for PFAS in accordance with the EU chemical regulation REACH. This proposal, which aims to ban the entire chemical “universe” of PFAS, has triggered a strong reaction from the industry, which has mobilized hundreds of lobbyists to weaken or even kill the proposal.
The Forever Lobbying Project subjected key arguments used by lobbyists to a “stress test” and found that many of them are alarmist, false, misleading or potentially dishonest. The investigation describes how industry lobbyists use influence tactics typical of the corporate world, used over decades to defend tobacco, fossil fuels and other chemicals and pesticides. The public debate on PFAS has therefore been polluted by them “merchants of doubts”.
«The investigation – declared Giuseppe Ungherese, head of the Greenpeace Italia Pollution campaign – in a note – reveals how massive the lobbying activity is to hinder the European proposal to restrict PFAS. This is a huge scandal that demonstrates the extent of the industrial and economic interests at stake. Recently in Italy too we have witnessed attempts to “ennoble” PFAS: not only in the famous report drawn up by Draghi on the relaunch of the European Union, but also in the depositions of some consultants of the companies accused in the Miteni trial in Veneto which they minimized the health impacts on the population. Instead, it must be imperative for European politics, including Italian politics, not to be influenced by lobbies but to listen to the scientific community and, in the shortest time possible, ban the use and production of PFAS and make polluters pay the clean-up costs. Only in this way will we be able to protect the environment and public health from these poisons.”
The Forever Lobbying Project exposes industry tactics
The Forever Lobbying Project has collected over 14,000 documents which demonstrate how the industry is trying to influence policy makers. These documents, now available to the public, reveal tactics used by the industry to delay or prevent regulation of PFAS. These tactics include:
