UK
Be more ambitious on restricting harmful ‘forever chemicals’, Government urged

Emily Beament, PA Environment Correspondent
Wed 23 October 2024


The UK should enact wide-ranging restrictions on “forever chemicals”, which could have the potential to harm humans, scientists have urged.

A group of more than 50 scientists from the UK and around the world have written to ministers urging them to be more ambitious in their regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, than the previous government.

They warn the highly persistent group of chemicals show no evidence of degrading in the environment, and have been found across the world from the Arctic to Mount Everest.


They have also been detected in people’s blood, drinking water and foods bought in supermarkets.

They are widely used in industry and consumer goods, from non-stick frying pans to clothing and carpets, with concerns over a range of impacts from cancer to suppressed immune systems, and their ability to move through the environment for long distances.

Some well-studied PFAS have been found to be toxic to humans and wildlife, the scientists warned, and while some substances have been banned, there is little information about the impact of many others.

The letter to UK Government ministers warns the only way to curb them polluting the environment, and reduce their risks, is to regulate all the chemicals as a single group.

But the UK has adopted a “narrow definition” of PFAS which only includes a few hundred substances and excludes thousands more, the experts say.

The EU has adopted an approach which includes 10,000 chemicals with proposals to phase out all PFAS, with a few specific exceptions, and scientists behind the letter say the UK should be doing as well – or better – than the bloc, not lagging behind post-Brexit.

Associate Professor Tony Fletcher, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “I am worried that the effect of Brexit might lead to Britain lagging behind environmental improvements at EU level.

“In the case of PFAS regulation, the EU has some good proposals for regulating them all. We should be as good as that, if not better, and this letter is making the case.

“We have found effects on human health in the few specific PFAS which have been studied in detail, and exposure up to now is so widespread.

“As most uses of PFAS can be substituted with less persistent or less toxic alternatives, the EU initiative to phase out all PFAS (with a few specific exceptions), should be a model adopted by the UK Government.

“We can do at least as well as the EU proposals. I would be very disappointed if Brexit appeared to lead to worse environments for us than being part of the EU.”

Professor Ian Cousins, who works at Stockholm University in Sweden, said: “Because the UK has been slow in acting on PFAS pollution, many British people have been unnecessarily and unknowingly exposed to a whole cocktail of PFAS.

“We only understand the toxicity of a handful of PFAS well, while there are about 10,000 PFAS in use.

“These PFAS continue to be emitted in the UK and will remain in the environment for centuries to come.

“The UK should follow Sweden, and the rest of Europe, in ‘turning off the tap’ of PFAS pollution by enacting a broad restriction of all non-essential PFAS uses.”

A spokesperson for the Environment Department said: “We are charting a new course to develop an ambitious programme to turn the tide and better protect our natural environment.

“This Government has wasted no time in announcing a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver on our legally binding targets to save nature.

“This includes how best to manage chemicals, including the risks posed by PFAS.”


U$A

Grizzly Research releases Hershey short report amid cancer-link concerns

Investing.com
Wed 23 October 2024 

Investing.com -- Grizzly Research issued a short report on The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) Wednesday, raising concerns over the presence of potentially harmful "forever chemicals" (PFAS) detected in the packaging of several of Hershey's popular products.

The short seller claims that independent tests found heightened levels of PFAS contamination in the wrappers of numerous Hershey products, including Reese's Pieces, Almond Joy, and Hershey's Kisses.

PFAS chemicals, which are linked to cancer and other health risks, are commonly used in packaging coatings but are increasingly being regulated or banned.

Grizzly noted that PFAS toxins are particularly dangerous for children and stated, "PFAS, or 'forever chemicals,' are carcinogenic, and a ban or phase-out for plastic food and candy packaging was introduced until 2024 in at least 13 U.S. states."

Grizzly said it commissioned tests from four different labs across the U.S., Germany, and China to compare Hershey's packaging with competitors like Mars and Nestlé.

"All four labs found heightened traces of PFAS in various HSY's products but none or negligible amounts in products by Mars and Nestlé," the report said.

Of the 50 tests conducted, Grizzly claims 20 cases of PFAS contamination over 10 mg/kg were found, with 19 involving Hershey's products.

The report further alleges that Hershey may be using "uncommon, harder-to-detect PFAS compounds" to bypass regulatory bans while still exposing consumers to health risks.

"Our expert heading this case believes that HSY deliberately uses uncommon, harder-to-detect PFAS compounds to avoid detection and bans, while the negative health implications of such uncommon substances remain similar," they argue.

Grizzly added that "as of today, the FDA's Food Contact Substance database does not show any authorization of PFAS use for HSY."

Given Hershey's reliance on North American sales, Grizzly warns that these findings could pose significant legal, reputational, and financial risks for the company.

The firm believes that this issue "can materially affect these brands' recognition and add material reputational and litigation risk to HSY."

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