WWF - Growing call among EU governments for European ban on chemical that causes liver damage and interferes with human reproduction

WWF

Growing call among EU governments for European ban on chemical that causes liver damage and interferes with human reproduction

Sweden is proposing an EU-wide ban on PFOS, a widely-used chemical found in computers and paints that causes liver and other damage to the human body. A number of governments are calling on the European Commission to ban the chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) because it may cause liver damage and distort reproductive functions. PFOS is a persistent organic pollutant (POP) because it is bioaccumulative and does not break down in the environment.

In July 2005 the Swedish government filed a national ban on PFOS with the European Commission. “My hope is that more EU countries will go ahead with national bans and that this will pressure the Commission into an EU-wide ban”, said Environment Minister Lena Sommestad in proposing the ban. As well as trying to get agreement from other countries for a Swedish ban the Swedish Ministry of Sustainable Development has been holding discussions with other EU Member States to gather general support to nominate PFOS to the Stockholm Convention which regulates POPs globally.

It looks as this move could be successful. Speaking to WWF on October 20 Monica Tornlund from the Ministry of Sustainable Development explained: “Following recent discussions in Brussels, we are hopeful that the Commission will come up with a proposal for an EU ban on PFOS before the end of 2005”.