In a letter from Commission President von der Leyen to the conservative EPP group, it is now in black and white: there are to be exceptions to the EU's PFAS ban for key industries. I call on the EU Commission to exercise extreme caution and to protect people and the environment. After all, the use of this group of chemicals poses serious health and environmental risks!

PFAS are very stable carbon-fluorine bonds - so stable that they cannot be broken down by nature. Hence the designation of PFAS as "eternity chemicals".

They can be found in a variety of everyday products, such as upholstered furniture, non-stick coatings on pans and baking pans, impregnations on textiles, but also in dental floss, on glasses or in buggies for children.

The danger: they permanently pollute our water and soil, and also accumulate in humans and animals through food and everyday products. 

It is therefore essential that PFAS are banned throughout the EU where they come into direct contact with people and the environment. Bans will also help to encourage companies to find and produce pollutant-free alternatives.

In industrial applications where there are still no alternatives for PFAS, it must be ensured that these chemicals remain in a closed cycle and are disposed of properly so that they do not enter the environment or come into contact with humans and animals. Here, the industry must also ensure that the substances are destroyed in such a way that they are no longer harmful.

There is an urgent need to restrict the use of PFAS, as they contribute to considerable environmental pollution and are harmful to our health!

Exerting pressure on the EU Commission, as the Christian Democrats have tried to do with a letter to the Commission President in order to obtain premature exemptions for the industry, is therefore completely out of place. A clear regulation would be much more helpful here!