The European Parliament’s Environment Committee, which adopted a proposal on reducing pollution from packaging, is considering banning it in food packaging.
“Better to ban eternal pollutants as quickly as possible”, estimates on franceinfo the spokesperson for the environmental association Générations Futures, François Veillerette. THE “eternal pollutants” refer to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS.These are fluorinated compounds, used since the 1950s. They are extremely resistant to temperatures, other chemical agents and possibly carcinogens.
The European Parliament’s Environment Committee adopted a proposal on Tuesday October 24 on reducing pollution caused by packaging. In particular, it plans to ban them in food packaging.
franceinfo: Outside of the food industry, where can we find these PFAS?
François Veillerette: PFAS can be found everywhere. It can be found in clothing, in cosmetics, in electronic objects. These are very numerous products, the PFAS family has more than 4,000 different compounds. We call them “eternal pollutants” because they have a very long lifespan, of the order of several centuries. It is therefore urgent to act, because they accumulate in the environment and, ultimately, in the organism of people.
What are the consequences of this accumulation on health?
Some of the compounds in the family have been identified as possibly being linked to the appearance of certain cancers, others to immunodeficiency problems.
“Many of them are classified as endocrine disruptors”
François Veilleretteat franceinfo
They are also likely to cause reproductive problems. All of these diseases have a serious impact on the health of the population and the health system.
If the European Parliament votes for the Environment Committee’s proposal, PFAS should be banned in food packaging by 2027. Does this horizon seem realistic to you?
NGOs, and therefore Générations Futures, always find that things are not going fast enough. A ban horizon of 2027 leaves four years during which the population continues to be exposed to “eternal pollutants” in food packaging.
Two years ago, with other NGOs, Générations Futures analyzed fast-food packaging and found PFAS almost everywhere. Generally speaking, anti-fat treatment is based on the use of PFAS. I think it’s better to grease your fingertips while eating your fries than to continue ingesting this type of substance for years.