are we all contaminated with PFAS, the “eternal pollutants”?

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Video length: 2 min.

France 3

Article written by

S. Feydel, A. Creff, M. Renier, France 3 Rhône-Alpes, C. Alphonse – France 3

France Televisions

PFAS, nicknamed the “eternal pollutants”, are chemical molecules used in particular in packaging. Green MPs had their hair analyzed, and the results showed that they were all contaminated with PFAS. In France, thousands of sites use or produce it.

In front of the cameras, environmental MPs unveiled fake tattoos on their arms, showing signs warning of toxic products. They thus symbolize their contamination with PFAS, a family of chemicals nicknamed “eternal pollutants”. These 14 elected officials from different regions have just obtained their hair analysis results. PFAS are chemical molecules used in non-stick pans, cosmetics, textiles and packaging. They are authorized in France and in the European Union.

Contaminated places are piling up

In Pierre-Bénite (Rhône), two sites produce it. They have been legally releasing them into the environment for decades. Substances that never disappear, also found in the blood of ten inhabitants who live next to the factories. Thousands of sites in France produce or use PFAS. Contaminated sites are accumulating, as shown by a map produced by several media including Le Monde. The government has just published an order for industrial sites to identify and analyze their discharges. This is insufficient for François Veillerette, spokesperson for the association “Future generations”which calls for “an inventory of sites that are contaminated”.


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