A new investigation confirmed what many feared: Pfas pollution is widespread and pervasive, and nobody is immune. This time the “Forever Chemicals“They were found in the blood of 24 European leaders from 19 countries of the European Union.
Among the tested are the European commissioner for the environment Jessika Roswall and the Danish minister of the environment Magnus Heunicke, together with ministers, undersecretaries and EU executive directors.
The investigation
The investigation was led by the Danish Ministry of the Environment and Equal Opportunities, in collaboration with EEB (European Environmental Bureau), the largest European network of environmental organizations and Chemsec, an independent organization that promotes the replacement of toxic chemicals with safer alternatives.
The goal was twofold: to demonstrate how widespread the contamination from PFAS also among the most important EU political figures and stimulate European leaders to take concrete measures to reduce exposure and limit pollution from these persistent chemicals.
The analyzes were carried out in July 2025, on the occasion of meetings and meetings between ministers and European officials, taking small quantities of blood from each participant.
Scientists tested 13 different Pfas, including those considered more harmful to human health and the environment. Among these:
The results
The investigation confirmed the widespread diffusion of the Pfas among European leaders. In total, all tested politicians had 3 to 8 pfas and the Pfos was the most present and with the highest concentrations, up to 17.19 ng/ml.
Half of the participants had levels higher than the health reference value of 6.9 ng/ml established by HBM4EU for the combined exposure to PFOA, PFNA, PFHXS and PFOS, while all the testers had at least 2 ng/ml, threshold beyond which the national academies of the United States recommend specific medical monitoring. Put simply, he writes EEB:
Half of the EU leaders, contamination has exceeded the levels beyond which health impacts cannot be excluded.
The six Pfas afraid and actually detected – Pfoa, Pfos, PFHXS, PFNA, PFDA and Pfunda – are already regulated in Europe, confirming their persistence and ability to accumulate in the body. Even some more recent or replacement compounds, such as PFDA and Pfunda, continue to accumulate in the blood, and therefore the need for wider restrictions, so as to avoid dangerous replacements that do nothing but maintain the current state of pollution.
Reactions
Obviously there were the leaders’ reactions to this news. The European Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall said:
Like many other citizens throughout Europe, I have pfas in my body. Pfas pollution is a vital problem for public health. My priority is to work for a rapid PFAS EU prohibition in consumer products and guarantee rigorous rules until alternatives are found.
Dane Minister Magnus Heunicke added:
My result – and the general picture – is a frightening reality. Now it is necessary to intervene throughout the EU to prevent, contain and reclaim the PFAS.
Anne-Safie Bäckar, executive director of Chemsec, then highlighted:
These results demonstrate two things: contamination from PFAS does not spare anyone and the regulation works. Now we need EU leaders to conclude work with a universal ban on all PFAS, not only in consumer products.
Restrictions are increasingly necessary
Despite the results, the investigation also provides us with a certain hope: the levels of PFAS can in fact decrease when effective restrictions are applied, as demonstrated by some previous tests.
Leena Ylä-Mononen, executive director of the European Environment Agency, had already subjected its blood to testing for the PFAS, which now show a drop, in particular for the substances already subject to restrictions. This shows that regulations work: with effective bans and limitations, the levels of PFAS in the blood tend to decrease.
The EU is located at a critical crossroads: reclaiming pollution from Pfas already present could cost up to 2,000 billion euros in the next 20 years, not to mention the 52-84 billion per year related to damage to health. But intervening now is not only urgent, even necessary to avoid even greater costs and protect future generations.
Eeb, Chemsec and over 100 European organizations have launched the “Stop Pfas” manifesto, urging EU leaders to act immediately with universal restrictions. Delays and escapades will only prolong the crisis and increase health risks.
