Forever chemicals: Brussels' mission to clean up Europe's water

The European Commission plans to motorboat a immense cognition to cleanable up PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), besides known arsenic "forever chemicals" successful h2o done nan creation of public-private partnerships.

These were nan conclusions of nan European Water Resilience Strategy, adopted connected Wednesday successful Brussels.

In 2022, retired of 1,300 monitoring sites successful Europe, 59% of rivers, 35% of lakes and 73% of coastal waters exceeded nan biology value modular for perfluorooctanesulphonic acerb (PFOS), a type of PFAS, according to nan European Environment Agency (EEA).

In Europe, only 37% of aboveground waters are successful bully aliases very bully ecological wellness and 29% person achieved bully chemic status, according to nan agency.

Environmental associations, which are campaigning for a prohibition connected PFAS astatine nan source, are denouncing this arsenic a "missed opportunity".

"We expected to spot much ambition to trim contamination astatine nan source," said Angeliki Lyssimachou, caput of subject and argumentation astatine nan Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe.

'Forever chemicals'

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are dubbed "forever chemicals" because they don't easy break down successful nan situation and accumulate successful humans and animals complete time.

Health costs are estimated astatine €52 to €84 cardinal a twelvemonth and immoderate of nan chemicals person been classified arsenic carcinogenic.

These chemic compounds are non-stick, waterproof and resistant to precocious temperatures. They are besides coming successful galore mundane items specified arsenic non-stick frying pans, fire-fighting foams and aesculapian devices.

Jessika Roswall, nan European Commissioner for nan Environment and Water Resilience said she was successful favour of banning PFAS successful user products specified arsenic cosmetics and nutrient packaging. However, she stressed that it would beryllium difficult to prohibition each PFASs, arsenic immoderate do not yet person an effective alternative.

"The problem is that we request PFASs for galore different products. For example, aesculapian products for illustration inhalers (...) aliases galore things for which location is nary substitution. In position of nan ecological transition, semiconductors, digitisation aliases nan defence industry," Roswall told Euronews.

In a leaked document, nan Commission's estimated scope for nan yearly costs of PFAS decontamination successful Europe was wide, astatine anyplace from €5 each nan measurement to €100 billion. For nan h2o assemblage alone, nan costs could summation to up to €18 cardinal annually for drinking h2o treatment.

For immoderate pollutants, specified arsenic TFA (trifluoroacetic acid, a type of PFAS), nan clean-up is not truthful simple.

"According to nan h2o companies, it's a very costly process that involves extracting each nan minerals from nan h2o and adding them back. At nan extremity of nan day, you're going to suffer a batch of water," says Angeliki Lyssimachou. "So you're going to devour a batch much energy.

The Commission wants to use nan "polluter pays" rule and reserve nationalist backing for sites wherever it has not been imaginable to place who is responsible.

European strategy

The European Water Resilience Strategy intends to reconstruct nan h2o rhythm and guarantee entree to clean, affordable h2o astatine a clip erstwhile Europe is facing utmost upwind events specified arsenic floods and droughts. 34% of nan EU is affected by h2o shortages.

"Water is life. Water resilience is basal for our citizens, our farmers, nan situation and businesses. The Commission's Water Resilience Strategy sets retired nan way towards a sustainable, resilient, smart and competitory h2o economy. We must enactment now to protect this resource," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen successful a statement.

The European action scheme besides includes raising consciousness for these issues done nationalist debates, expanding European backing for infrastructure modernisation, supporting digitisation done nan EU's Copernicus Earth study programme, and supporting innovation.