Read the full article by Leonie Cater (Politico)
“Environmental NGOs have identified toxic substances in the blood of top Brussels politicians — part of a campaign to push for an EU-wide ban on the chemicals despite heavy industry pushback.
Each of the 16 politicians and public figures who participated — a group that includes EU competition head Margrethe Vestager, former Green Deal chief Frans Timmermans and EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius — were found to have at least seven types of toxic PFAS chemicals in their blood. In five cases, the amount ‘exceeded existing safety threshold levels’ for the chemicals.
PFAS chemicals, which are widely used in everyday items like non-stick pans and raincoats as well as in semiconductor manufacturing and batteries, are linked to a host of severe health issues, including cancer and infertility. Also known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t naturally break down in the environment, they have been identified in everything from rainwater and soil to breastmilk.” …