Forever Chemical Products To Be Ban in France, Claims To Be Harmful To Health And Environment

Products containing per- and polyfluoroalkylated (PFAS) substances, also known as forever chemicals, may soon face stringent restrictions in France.

The National Assembly overwhelmingly passed the first draft of a bill banning some products containing dangerous chemicals. It focuses on the production, import, and marketing of cosmetics, apparel, and ski wax containing PFAS.

Ban Of Forever Chemical

Following a fierce debate between the left and the presidential camp, the bill was unanimously adopted by the National Assembly committee, with 186 votes in favor and none opposed.

The bill, introduced by environmentalist Nicolas Thierry, calls for a ban on products containing PFAS substances beginning January 1, 2026, with the exception of protective clothing for safety and civil security professionals.

While the manufacture and sale of PFAS-containing textiles will be prohibited beginning January 1, 2030.

Cooking utensils, which were originally included in the ban, were excluded after right-wing and majority MPs cited manufacturers' concerns about employment dangers.

The bill also includes a 'polluter pays' premise, which would require manufacturers to pay for the cleanup of chemical contamination in drinking water.

"Huge victory in the recognition of the health scandal of the century. This vote is historic," said Thierry in a tweet.

Man-made Chemicals

PFAS is an abbreviation for per- and polyfluorinated chemicals, a family of over 10,000 compounds. These man-made chemicals are commonly referred to as 'forever chemicals' since they do not degrade in the environment.

They are widely used in textiles, food packaging, and kitchen items due to their nonstick, waterproof, or stain-resistant qualities.

In addition to harming the environment, everlasting chemicals have been linked to cancer, low birthweight, and hormone abnormalities, among other health problems. They have been discovered everywhere, from rainfall to breastmilk.

Sandrine Rousseau, a French politician and economist, warned that forever chemicals are "a scandal of the same order as asbestos," the infamous building material outlawed in the European Union in 2005 due to its hazardous qualities.

While there is strong evidence that at least one of the more than 4,000 human-made compounds known as PFAS causes cancer, researchers are still working to completely grasp their overall influence on health.

Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden submitted to the EU a joint proposal to ban PFAS in January 2023. All of these countries have strict internal PFAS regulations.

However, EU plans leaked in October appeared to delete the suggestion from a list to be presented ahead of this year's European Parliament elections.

In March of this year, the EU approved a ban on PFHxA, a group of forever chemicals used in food packaging and clothes. The limits will be brought in over the next three years.

A broad ban on PFAS in food packaging and toys is expected, although industrial applications have been notably exempt from restrictions thus far.

Maximum PFAS concentrations in water have already been established and will take effect in January 2026, and the European Chemicals Agency has supported a proposal to prohibit the chemicals in firefighting foams.

In 2020, Denmark became the first country to prohibit PFAS chemicals. Last year, the United States proposed limits on chemicals that would last forever.