MPs being urged by industry to limit bans on 'forever chemicals'

Chemical firms are lobbying MPs not to ban "forever chemicals" in the same way as proposed in the EU, using arguments disputed by scientists and described as "big tobacco playbook" tactics, it can be revealed.

- Tess Colley Pippa Neill

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances - commonly known as forever chemicals owing to their persistence in the environment - are a family of about 10,000 substances, some of which have been linked to a wide range of serious illnesses, including certain cancers. They are used across various industries, from cosmetics to firefighting.

In May, MPs on the environmental audit committee (EAC) launched an inquiry into PFAS, calling for evidence on their uses and risks, and options for how to regulate them.

Exclusive analysis by the Ends Report and the Guardian of the responses submitted to the parliamentary committee has revealed that big chemical producers have been telling parliamentarians that any incoming UK PFAS regulation should be more limited than that currently proposed in the EU, which targets the whole family of chemicals.