French MPs on Thursday approved the first reading of a bill aimed at restricting the manufacture and sale of non-essential products containing PFAS or "forever chemicals", marking a significant step in environmental health protection. The list of products, however, stopped short of including cookware after protests from manufacturers this week.
Following heated debate between the left and the presidential camp, the bill was approved unanimously by the National Assembly committee, with 186 votes in favour and none against.
The bill, introduced by environmentalist Nicolas Thierry, called for a ban on the manufacture, import and sale of any cosmetic product, wax product (for skis) or clothing textile product containing per- and polyfluoroalkylated (PFAS) substances, with the exception of protective clothing for safety and civil security professionals from January 1, 2026.
While the manufacture and sale of textiles containing PFAS will be forbidden from January 1, 2030, kitchen utensils – which were initially included in the ban – were removed from the list after right-wing and majority MPs cited manufacturers' arguments over risks to employment.
Earlier this week, kitchenware manufacturer SEB warned that the PFAS product ban would endanger some 3,000 jobs at its regional plants, which produce Tefal frying pans. Several hundred SEB employees on Wednesday rallied to protest against the bill near the French Parliament.
What are PFAS?
Invisible, omnipresent "forever chemicals" have been linked to a wide range of serious effects on human health, prompting growing calls for them to be banned.
While there is firm evidence that at least one of the more than 4,000 human-made chemicals called PFAS causes cancer, researchers are still attempting to fully understand their broader impact on health.
First developed in the 1940s to withstand intense heat and repel water and grease, PFAS have since been used in a vast range of household and industrial products including food packaging, make-up, stain-proof fabric, non-stick pots and pans and foam used to fight fires.
Because PFAS take an extremely long time to break down – earning them the nickname "forever chemicals" – over the years they have seeped into the soil and groundwater, getting into our food chain and drinking water in the process.
These chemicals have now been detected virtually everywhere on Earth, from the top of Mount Everest to inside human blood and brains.
Two biggest culprits
The two most researched PFAS compounds have already been banned or restricted in many countries, though they remain detectable throughout the environment.
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which was once used to make the non-stick cookware coating Teflon, was in December classified as "carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
The World Health Organization agency said there is "sufficient evidence" that PFOA gave animals cancer during experiments, as well as "limited evidence" of renal cell and testicular cancer in humans.
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) – once the key ingredient in the Scotchgard fabric protector – was meanwhile ruled "possibly carcinogenic to humans".
There was limited proof of cancer in animals but "inadequate evidence regarding cancer in humans", the IARC said.
Calls for action
Environmentalists and health experts across the world have been increasingly sounding the alarm about forever chemicals.
But for people at home, it is nearly impossible to avoid consuming minuscule amounts of PFAS.
Experts recommend reducing contact with non-stick cookware and grease-proof food packaging such as fast food wrappers. Drinking filtered or bottled water and storing leftovers in glass – not plastic – containers could also help.
Meanwhile the European Union is also considering a Europe-wide ban on PFAS from as early as 2026.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
