A press investigation reveals that 17,000 sites in Europe are contaminated with “permanent” pollutants.

Journalists reported to one of twenty factories producing polyfluoroalkyl pollutants, including five in France and several in Germany. These compounds are used in industry and in everyday products.

Written article

Posted

Update

Study Time: 1 minute.

Large areas around a Norwegian lake, the Danube, the Czech River and most industrial chemical basins… More than 17,000 sites in Europe are contaminated with pollutants. Each and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS), called “eternal,” according to the results of a months-long survey carried out by 17 media outlets, including the world (Article reserved for subscribers) And this Guardian (Article in English) And released on Thursday, February 23.

This study is called ever pollution plan, Refers to these nearly indestructible synthetic compounds developed since the 1940s to resist water and heat. Its authors rely on expert methods, data and “Thousands of Environmental Models” According to them, it made possible the implementation of the first European map of contaminated sites or sites suspected of being so. The Federation of Journalists is verified according to its map “A form of ‘peer-reviewed journal’ in the paradigm of peer-reviewed scientific work”.

More than 2,100 sites are dangerously contaminated

“According to our conservative estimate, there are more than 17,000 contaminated sites in Europe that require the attention of public authorities (more than 10 nanograms per liter). The experts we surveyed (more than 100) reach levels considered dangerous to health. nanograms per liter) in more than 2,100 hotspots”, to write the world

The production plants are located mainly in Germany, the cradle of industrial chemistry, especially the Arkroma companies and the American group 3M. Journalists found twenty PFAS manufacturing factories in France and 230 factories identified as PFAS users. They are used in industry and in everyday products: Teflon products, food packaging, textiles, automobiles.

See also  The Taliban have banned women from traveling more than 72 kilometers

German, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish health authorities submitted a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in mid-January to ban the ingredient, supported by other countries including France, which recently presented its own “action plan”. .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *