Green Export

Key actions towards zero chemical pollution in the environment?

Hazardous chemicals and their complex interaction with other environmental stressors can have long-term and large-scale environmental impacts on the terrestrial and marine environment. They can contribute to the reduction of ecosystem resilience, leading to rapid declines in animal populations and, ultimately, to extinctions, as well as impacting human health and wellbeing, not least through the possible presence of contaminants in the food chain. It is estimated that 2.8 million potentially contaminated sites exist in the EU, mainly from waste disposal and treatment, posing a significant environmental hazard for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and affecting the productivity of soils. The current regulatory and policy framework struggles to take this into account and needs to be strengthened.

CHEMICAL POLLUTION IN NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

The Commission will:

  • propose new hazard classes and criteria in the CLP Regulation to fully address environmental toxicity, persistency, mobility and bioaccumulation;
  • introduce endocrine disruptors, persistent, mobile and toxic and very persistent and very mobile  substances as categories of substances of very high concern;
  • ensure that the information made available to authorities on substances allows comprehensive environmental risk assessments by strengthening requirements across legislation;
  • address the impact on the environment of the production and use of pharmaceuticals in the upcoming pharmaceuticals strategy for Europe;
  • support research and development for decontamination solutions in terrestrial and aquatic environments;
  • reinforce the regulation of chemical contaminants in food to ensure a high level of human health protection.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) require special attention, considering the large number of cases of contamination of soil and water - including drinking water - in the EU and globally, the number of people affected with a full spectrum of illnesses and the related societal and economic costs. That is why the Commission proposes a comprehensive set of actions to address the use of and contamination with PFAS. Those aim to ensure, in particular, that the use of PFAS is phased out in the EU, unless it is proven essential for society.

PFAS

The Commission will:

  • ban all PFAS as a group in fire-fighting foams as well as in other uses, allowing their use only where they are essential for society;
  • address PFAS with a group approach, under relevant legislation on water, sustainable products, food, industrial emissions, and waste;
  • address PFAS concerns on a global scale through the relevant international fora and in bilateral policy dialogues with third countries;
  • establish an EU-wide approach and provide financial support under research and innovation programmes to identify and develop innovative methodologies for remediating PFAS contamination in the environment and in products;
  • provide research and innovation funding for safe innovations to substitute PFAS under Horizon Europe.

Source: European Commission

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