French lawmakers vote to ban ‘forever chemicals’ except in cooking utensils – Technologist

On the eve of the Assemblée Nationale’s examination of his proposed law aimed at protecting the French population from the risks associated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), Green MP for Gironde in southwest France, Nicolas Thierry, called on his colleagues to “take action in the face of a major health scandal, perhaps the largest mass pollution in our history.”

After a long day of debates primarily focused on the potential risks of this text for French businesses, he could congratulate himself on a “first important milestone”: The proposed law was adopted unanimously (186 votes for, none against and 27 abstentions) on Thursday, April 4. The result was achieved despite opposition from the government and SEB, the world leader in non-stick frying pans, which managed to secure an exemption for kitchen utensils even though the company is a heavy consumer and emitter of “forever chemicals.” “I regret that the crass lobbying of one industrialist has been able to gain so much support from the majority, the far right and the far-right,” lamented Thierry. The text will now go through the Sénat.

Its flagship measure will ban the manufacture, import and sale of products containing PFAS in France. The ban, effective January 1, 2026, rather than 2025 as envisaged in the initial text, will prohibit three categories of consumer goods: cosmetics, clothing textiles (excluding protective clothing for security and civil protection workers) and ski waxes. All textiles will be covered by the ban from January 1, 2030.

The issue of food packaging, another major source of exposure to “forever chemicals,” was left out of the committee’s deliberations. Instead, it was deferred to forthcoming European regulations, which are expected to impose stricter regulations, similar to Denmark’s existing ban on PFAS.

Another key aspect in the text is that lawmakers decided to apply the “polluter pays” principle. It involves imposing a fee on industries responsible for pollution to be paid to water agencies across France that are confronted with contamination problems.

Present in everyday objects

To better characterize the extent of the pollution and protect populations, the text introduces the obligation to monitor the presence of “forever chemicals” in drinking water throughout the country. Today, the collection of this data is mainly confined to regions with significant pollution incidents, such as in Rumilly (eastern France), known as the “frying pan capital of the world,” and home to the historic Tefal factory. They’re also recorded in the “chemical valley,” south of Lyon (southeast-central France), home to two major PFAS producers, Arkema and Daikin.

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