In France, a ban on the production and sale of cosmetics and most clothing containing polluting and health-hazardous "forever chemicals" comes into force on Thursday, UNN reports with reference to AFP.
Details
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are man-made chemicals that have been used since the late 1940s for the mass production of non-stick, waterproof, and stain-resistant treatments that cover everything from frying pans to umbrellas, carpets, and dental floss.
Because PFAS decompose extremely slowly – which earned them their nickname "forever" – they have seeped into soil and groundwater, and from there into the food chain and drinking water.
These chemicals have been found virtually everywhere on Earth, from the summit of Mount Everest to human blood and brains.
Chronic exposure to even low levels of these chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune response, low birth weight, and several types of cancer.
The French law, approved by lawmakers in February, prohibits the manufacture, import, or sale from January 2026 of any product for which a PFAS alternative already exists.
These include cosmetics and ski wax, as well as clothing containing these chemicals, with the exception of some "essential" industrial textiles.
The ban on non-stick pans was removed from the draft law after active lobbying by the owners of the French manufacturer Tefal, the publication writes.
It will also oblige French authorities to regularly test drinking water for all types of PFAS.
Addition
There are thousands of different PFAS, and some of them have been banned since 2019 under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, but China and the United States are not among the more than 150 signatories.
This includes perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), used since the 1950s by the American company DuPont to produce its non-stick Teflon coating for textiles and other everyday consumer goods.
The Stockholm Convention also prohibits perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), known for its use as a water repellent by the American group 3M, which has been strictly limited since 2009.
Several US states, including California, have introduced a ban on the intentional use of PFAS in cosmetics, starting in 2025, with several other states planning to follow suit in 2026.
Denmark will ban the use of PFAS in clothing, footwear, and some consumer goods with water-repellent agents, starting from July 1, 2026.
Denmark banned the use of PFAS in food packaging in 2020.
The European Union is considering a possible ban on the use of PFAS in consumer products, but has not yet presented or implemented such a provision.