A major European effort to phase out dangerous chemicals has hit a slowdown — and the consequences may already be showing up in people's kitchens and drinking water.
According to Chemistry World, regulatory delays have allowed roughly 100,000 metric tons of harmful substances to continue contaminating food, water, and the environment.
Findings from ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau indicate that the European Commission has slowed or stalled promised restrictions on some of the world's most concerning chemical groups, the organizations said.
At the center of the dispute is the EU's chemical "roadmap," launched in April 2022. It outlined restrictions on 22 chemicals and chemical groups under existing laws, with early expectations that most would be largely phased out of the European market by 2030.
The targeted substances include flame retardants, bisphenols, polyvinyl chloride, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — the so-called "forever chemicals" that have drawn increasing concern because they can persist in the environment and human body for years and years.
"It appears that the roadmap will continue to serve as an interim tool for some time to come," chemicals regulation specialist Mirella Miettinen told Chemistry World. "Given the shortcomings highlighted in this report, it is questionable how effectively it advances the imposition of restrictions or paves the way for the development of less harmful chemicals."
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According to the report, 14 of the 22 roadmap files have now been "effectively frozen." So far, only six restrictions have been enacted into law.
The report also found that the commission has repeatedly failed to meet a legal requirement to act within three months of receiving advice from the European Chemicals Agency.
Instead, delays have stretched from 13 to 47 months, according to Chemistry World.
"The commission is rolling back on its own promises, and by doing so, it's leaving itself exposed to legal challenge," Hélène Duguy, a lawyer for ClientEarth, told the publication.
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The report estimates that the delays are tied to 98,355 metric tons of chemical pollution that could have been avoided.
For consumers, that could mean longer exposure to substances found in packaging, household materials, waterways, and food systems.
For families, workers, and communities, slower regulation can translate into fewer protections and a longer wait for safer alternatives.
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