One year after the entry into force of the first European national plan for the reduction of pollution from Pfas, Denmark confirms its pioneering role in the fight against these dangerous chemicals.
With an investment of 54 million euros, it was the first country in Europe to start, last year, a whole series of initiatives aimed at preventing, containing and reclaiming contaminations from PFAS, but what were the concrete progress?
A year of interventions: the first results in Denmark
The per- and polypluoroalchilics (PFAS), also known as “eternal chemicals“For their persistence in the environment, they represent one of the major environmental challenges of our time. For this reason, Denmark has adopted rigorous measures to limit their diffusion, focusing on three key sectors: clothing, soil and drinking water.
Here are the main results obtained so far:
And in the rest of Europe?
The Danish initiative has also had a significant impact at European level. The country has in fact continued to push for a generalized ban on the PFAS throughout the EU, collaborating with other Member States to strengthen community regulations. This led the European Commission to consider new restrictions on a continental scale, with the aim of a gradual elimination of these substances within the next decade.
To deal with Pfas pollution, several European countries have implemented specific regulations. At the European Union level, a proposal is underway to prohibit the use of PFAS in consumer products, with some exemptions for essential industrial uses such as inhalers for asthma and components for green technologies. This proposal, supported by countries such as Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, aims to reduce exposure to these harmful substances.
Despite regulatory efforts, the chemical industry has exerted pressure to limit the restrictions on the PFAS, using tactics similar to those used by the tobacco industry in the past. These strategies include the dissemination of misleading information and the exaggeration of the costs associated with regulation, in an attempt to delay or weaken the proposed measures.
The example of France
Just in these days, in France, the deputies of the National Assembly have definitively adopted the bill to eliminate products containing per- and polypluoralchilic substances. More specifically, the text – already under discussion since last year – VThe use of PFAS in cosmetics, in wax products will be used from 1 Januaryin waterproofing for clothing, clothes and textile products.
However, there are great absentees: the kitchen utensils are excluded from this rule.
Let’s talk about it here: Pfas: for the first time in Europe this country approves a law against eternal pollutants (but except for a product)
Future challenges and goals
Despite progress, Denmark has yet to face some challenges, such as:
With a rigorous approach and a constant investment in the search for sustainable alternatives, Denmark continues to be a model for the whole of Europe in the fight against pollution from Pfas. Next year it will be crucial to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures adopted and to understand if other nations will follow his example.
