The European Union published Strategy for Chemicals Sustainability on October 14th 2020 which sets out its vision and long term roadmap for chemicals management until 2030. The strategy and regulatory actions proposed stem from the European Green Deal’s commitment to a toxics free future and zero pollution objective.
The strategy includes how the EU will proceed to regulate "essential use" of chemical substances and the use of PFASs specifically, and a list of actions on PFAS. Xenia Trier, from the European Environment Agency (EEA), outlined how the Chemicals strategy addresses the use of and contamination with PFAS, with an aim to phase out the use of PFAS unless it is proven essential for society. She highlighted some risk governance processes that could be applied, including a proposed broad EU-wide restriction of the class of PFAS under REACH, and opportunities for researchers and policy makers to contribute science based information and data to advance the public policy goals on PFAS.
This webinar was moderated by Génon Jensen, Executive Director of Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL). It lasted for 45 minutes and was recorded for our call and webinar archive.
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Before joining the EEA in 2016, Xenia Trier worked since 1998 as an analytical chemist and advisor in a commercial compliance laboratory and at the Danish National Food Institute (DTU). Her focus areas were on organic pollutants in air, soil, water, food contact materials and human blood, and on enforcement and advice on technical regulation, at national and EU level. Since 2006 she has worked on PFAS, and in 2011 she received her Ph.D. on PFAS in food contact materials from University of Copenhagen, Denmark and DTU. Since joining the EEA, her work has focused on the risk governance of chemicals (EEA 2018, EEA SOER2020), such as PFAS (EEA 2020) including how to manage groups of chemicals, essential uses, safe and sustainable design (and EEA Feb 4th 2021), early warning systems, chemicals in the circular economy, indicators of chemical pollution (Buekers et al. 2018, EEA 2018, 2019), and how to measure harm of chemicals to humans and the environment. At the EEA she contributes to conceptual and practical discussions of how our societies can better prevent and manage chemical pollution, e.g. in the EU processes on PFAS, mixtures, the CSS, ZPA, data management (IPCHEM) and development of research programs in support of the EGD strategies.
This webinar series is sponsored by the EDC Strategies Partnership. The EDC Strategies Partnership is co-chaired by Sharyle Patton (Commonweal Biomonitoring Resource Center), Jerry Heindel (Commonweal HEEDS, Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies), Genon Jensen (HEAL, Health and Environment Alliance), Sarah Howard (HEEDS and the Commonweal Diabetes and Environment Program), and Hannah Donart (Commonweal CHE, Collaborative on Health and the Environment). To see a full list of past calls and webinars related to EDCs and listen to or view recordings, please visit our partnership page. For updates and more information on upcoming webinars, sign up for our HEEDS, HEAL, and CHE newsletters!