Space Travel News
FROTH AND BUBBLE
France's parliament votes to ban some uses of 'forever chemicals'
France's parliament votes to ban some uses of 'forever chemicals'
By Stephanie Lerouge
Paris (AFP) Feb 20, 2025

France's parliament on Thursday voted to limit the production and sale of some items containing polluting and health-threatening "forever chemicals" including cosmetics, most clothing and ski wax in the Alpine nation.

The lower-house National Assembly adopted the bill put forward by the Greens 231 votes to 51, after the upper-house Senate gave it a green light last year.

President Emmanuel Macron still needs to sign it into law.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals used since the late 1940s to mass produce the non-stick, waterproof and stain-resistant treatments that coat everything from frying pans to umbrellas, carpets, dental floss and ski wax.

Because PFAS take an extremely long time to break down -- earning them their "forever" nickname -- they have seeped into the soil and groundwater, and from there into the food chain and drinking water.

These chemicals have been detected virtually everywhere on Earth, from the top of Mount Everest to inside human blood and brains.

Chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birthweights and several kinds of cancer.

The French bill aims to prevent the production, import or sale from January 2026 of any product for which an alternative to PFAS already exists.

These include cosmetics and ski wax, as well as clothing containing the chemicals, except certain "essential" industrial textiles.

A ban on non-stick saucepans was originally included in the draft law, but removed after intense lobbying from the group that owns French manufacturer Tefal.

It will also make French authorities regularly test drinking water for all kinds of PFAS.

There are thousands of different PFAS.

Under new EU regulations from next year, member states will have to test their water for 20 types.

But the French law could allow analysis to check for further types in water if needed.

In January, a study found that a type of "forever chemical" linked to health problems and birth defects has been found in the tap water of many French cities and towns including Paris.

A 2023 study of snow and soil samples in Austria found that skiers using ski wax containing PFAS to glide faster down the slopes were contaminating runways and soil in remote Alpine areas.

It however added that a much smaller quantity could also be deposited from the atmosphere.

The European Union has been studying a possible ban on the use of PFAS in consumer products, but has not yet implemented such regulation.

Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
FROTH AND BUBBLE
Iraqi brick workers risk health, life to keep families afloat
Al-Kifl (AFP) Feb 20, 2025
As dawn broke over central Iraq, teenage sisters Dalia and Rukaya Ghali were loading heavy bricks, forced out of school and into a hazardous job to support their family. Covered in dirt, the sisters toiled for hours at the oil-fired brickworks near Al-Kifl city south of Baghdad, earning just enough to keep their younger siblings at school. "I'm very tired, but what else can we do?" said 17-year-old Dalia, left with little choice but to work since she was 10, like about one in every 20 Iraqi chil ... read more

FROTH AND BUBBLE
FROTH AND BUBBLE
China unveils innovative dual-mode robot for planetary exploration

Perseverance Rover's Groundbreaking Soil and Rock Samples

Sols 4443-4444: Four Fours for February

Texas A&M scholar secures NASA funding to examine Martian dune dynamics

FROTH AND BUBBLE
How NASA's Lunar Trailblazer Will Chart a Unique Path to the Moon

NASA Advances Lunar Exploration with Polar Ice Mining Experiment

Lunar Space Station Module Prepares for US Transport Ahead of Artemis IV

NASA's Mini Rovers Ready for Lunar Expedition

FROTH AND BUBBLE
NASA's Webb Uncovers Ancient Features of Trans-Neptunian Objects

New Study Suggests Trench-Like Features on Uranus' Moon Ariel May Be Windows to Its Interior

NASA Juno Mission Discovers Record-Breaking Volcanic Activity on Io

SwRI models suggest Pluto and Charon formed similarly to Earth and Moon

FROTH AND BUBBLE
UC Irvine study explores habitability of exoplanets orbiting white dwarf stars

Apply for the Davie Postdoctoral Fellowship in Artificial Intelligence for Astronomy

Wobbling Stars Lead to Discovery of Hidden Celestial Bodies in Gaia Data

Scientists measure Earth's cosmic detectability

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Musk in X spat with Danish astronaut over 'abandoned' ISS crew

SpaceX debris enters atmosphere over Poland: agency

SpaceX to attempt landing booster off coast of Bahamas for first time

Sierra Space Successfully Concludes Testing of VR35K-A Upper Stage Engine

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Chinese space firm showcases mobile-to-satellite communication tech

Names of Chinese Lunar Rover and Spacesuits Announced

Astronaut insights from mid mission aboard Tiangong

Chinese Satellite Companies Expand Global Services with Advanced Networks and Constellations

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Do look up: How Earth can defend itself against asteroid

Odds plummet that asteroid will hit Earth in 2032

'City killer' asteroid now has 3.1% chance of hitting Earth: NASA

A 'city-killer' asteroid might hit Earth -- how worried should we be?

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.