No more PFAS. A gradual and progressive elimination of them is the best strategy to solve the problems related to their use. And this time it is no longer just environmentalists and a few enlightened researchers who are saying it. Utilitalia, the Federation of Water, Environment and Energy Companies; Legambiente; and Consumers ‘ Forum, which brings together consumer associations and companies in the sector, yesterday presented a Manifesto with the very clear title, “Towards the Elimination of PFASs.”
“PFASs, a group of more than 10,000 synthetic chemicals used in the production of durable and resistant materials, are widely present in coatings and products in everyday use,” a joint note explains. “Their high chemical stability makes them persistent in the environment and difficult to degrade, with major consequences for the health of citizens and the management of public services. In recent years, several international institutions have established increasingly stringent guidelines to limit their spread, introducing limit values and containment measures.”
The Manifesto proposes seven sets of concrete actions to overcome the presence of PFAS. The first and fundamental one is “the elimination and substitution of PFASs in all products in which there are viable alternative solutions, favoring a medium- to long-term regulatory framework that, through the implementation of a rapid and comprehensive restriction with strictly time-limited exemptions, can also direct industrial innovation toward safe and sustainable solutions.” Second essential point is to reiterate the “polluter pays” principle so that “the costs associated with PFAS management and treatment do not fall unfairly on the community.” Then there is“the search for safe alternatives to PFAS, taking into account performance, protection of human health and the environment, and innovations offered by the market,” the “development of technological solutions and support for research to reduce and abate PFASs in water and waste treatment systems,” and ” support for transition pathways for the industrial system and utilities including through dedicated financial instruments.” The Manifesto also calls for “the promotion of ambitious harmonization of regulations at the European level based on the precautionary principle and up-to-date knowledge of the REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) framework, which remains one of the EU’s most effective tools for chemical risk management.”
“Water service operators,” explains Barbara Marinali, deputy vice president of Utilitalia and chair of Acea’s board of directors, “constantly monitor the presence of PFASs in the water they distribute and have launched major investments in their abatement, making use of the best technologies available to protect public health. With this Manifesto, the Federation intends to support the commitment of water service operators in managing a problem whose solution can only be prevention. The total elimination of PFASs and the application of the ‘polluter pays’ principle are necessary: the costs cannot fall exclusively on water service operators, thus on the rates charged to citizens.”
“The Manifesto represents a new and important starting point for Legambiente: the start of a collaboration that strengthens and renews the association’s commitment to combating the scourge of PFAS, in full continuity with the disputes that we have been pursuing for years in the territories most affected,” says Stefano Ciafani, Legambiente national president, for his part. “We want to transform the experience gained in the field into a shared action capable of making a structural impact, assuming a clear responsibility towards communities, the environment and future generations. At the center remains an inescapable principle for us: ‘the polluter pays,’ because the costs of pollution cannot fall on citizens but on those who generated the damage.”
“As Consumers’ Forum,” highlights President Furio Truzzi, “we are very happy to promote adherence to the Manifesto by our members who wish to do so and by CNCU Consumer Associations and non-member companies who wish to do so. The common goal, together with Utilitalia and Legambiente, is to help spread environmental and social sustainability and in the protection of citizens’ rights, promoting joint initiatives to reduce and replace PFAS, aware that the magnitude of this challenge requires the widest possible contribution.”
The EU is at the forefront of PFAS control. Since 2009, the POPs regulation has restricted the use of PFOS; later PFOA and PFHxS were also included. As of 2023, ECHA . at the request of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden – is considering a ban on 10,000 PFAS compounds; the technical evaluation will be completed by the end of 2026 after which it will be up to the Commission to make a substantive assessment. If the ban is approved, the production and use of PFAS will be phased out in different sectors and based on the presence of viable alternatives (with transition times ranging from 18 months to 12 years). But of course the companies that produce them and entire industry sectors, and various industry organizations representing them, are against it. Meanwhile, the EU has set a maximum limit of 0.5 µg/l for all PFASs in drinking water and intends to add several PFASs to the controlled substances released into water. The battle over PFASs has just begun.
