After lawmakers in Australia officially banned three "forever chemicals," experts are continuing to call for an even stricter ban.
July 1 marked the first day that the manufacture, import, export, and use of PFOS, PFOA, and PFHxS were deemed illegal in Australia under the Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Act 2021. This ban prohibits these chemicals from being used throughout various industries. The move aims to address the environmental and health concerns posed by these forever chemicals, which are known to persist in the environment and accumulate in living organisms.
Although the legislation was viewed as a step in the right direction, many are urging the Australian government and others to completely ban the use of all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
While appearing before the Senate Select Committee on PFAS in January, Dr. Stuart Khan urged for tighter restrictions regarding forever chemicals. As the head of the civil engineering school at the University of Sydney, Khan was able to offer unique insights into the staying power that PFAS possess.
"Almost every molecule of PFAS that has ever been synthesized is still with us in PFAS form," Khan said in a statement. "Some do break down, but mostly to new PFAS. Many of these molecules contaminate soil, waterways, food, the atmosphere, rainfall, fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals, including humans."
Khan suggested that the committee support a "far-reaching ban for PFAS used in products made inside and outside Australia." He also recommended that the government ensure the capabilities to test for chemical residue in products such as cosmetics, furniture, fabrics, food, and food packaging.
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As reported by The Conversation, Khan isn't the only one urging increased bans of PFAS. The European Union is in the process of proposing and evaluating a much broader restriction of PFAS. This would aim to introduce a phased-in ban that would occur over several years.
The EU has chosen a deliberate approach to its PFAS ban to avoid the introduction of "regrettable substitutions," or chemicals that come with unknown or unforeseen side effects that are used as replacements for chemicals already identified as problematic.
In a recent study published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, a team of researchers explored the concept of green chemistry that could be seen as a viable alternative to regrettable substitutions that are often pushed through into development before they are fully studied.
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