Weak enforcement leaves restricted chemicals in consumer products, lawyer says
ClientEarth lawyer Hélène Duguy says weak enforcement, slow regulation and corporate resistance are allowing hazardous PFAS and other restricted chemicals to remain in circulation.
Hazardous chemicals may be remaining in consumer products at allegedly illegal levels because European Union rules are not being adequately enforced, according to ClientEarth environmental lawyer Hélène Duguy.
In an interview reported by France 24 International, Duguy said the central problem was not simply a lack of scientific knowledge or legislation. She pointed to weak enforcement, slow regulatory action and resistance from companies.
PFAS, a group of highly persistent chemicals, have been detected in water, soil, food, consumer products and the human body, according to the report. The material says the risks are increasingly well documented and that alternatives exist for many uses.
European Union rules restrict some hazardous chemicals within an extensive regulatory framework. Duguy’s account suggests that restrictions alone have not prevented chemicals from remaining in circulation.
The supplied material does not identify specific products, companies, jurisdictions, concentrations, test results or enforcement records. It therefore does not establish the extent of any alleged non-compliance or show that all PFAS, or every product discussed, breaches EU law.
