Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal
"Initially local authorities told us that measurements were reassuring, but in reality, they didn't have any and were simply trying to keep people calm as best they could," Douglas, a 35-year-old consultant who preferred only to give his first name, told AFP.
"This kind of game has to stop," he said, adding he hoped the blood-sampling campaign launched in June would help shed light on the situation.
Anger in the region first erupted in 2023 when an investigation by local broadcaster RTBF revealed the authorities had ignored longstanding warnings about high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called forever chemicals.
It emerged that the US military, which has an airbase in the small city of Chievres, had warned the local water company in 2017 about high PFAS levels in drinking water, following an incident involving firefighting foam.
The US base advised its personnel to drink bottled water -- but locals were left in the dark for years, even after the regional government was told of the issue in 2018.
PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals that take an extremely long time to break down.
Chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birth weights and several kinds of cancer.
A group of more than 10,000 human-made chemicals that repel heat, water and oil, PFAS are used in nonstick pans, stain-proof carpets, and other products.
But their use is increasingly being restricted across the world due to adverse health effects.
In June an Italian court sentenced executives at a chemical plant to jail terms of up to 17 years for polluting water used by hundreds of thousands of people with the chemicals.
- 'Putting out fires' -
Water samples in Braine-le-Chateau last year revealed levels five to six times higher than a safety standard of 4 nanograms/litre (ng/L) for four PFAS recently agreed by Belgian authorities.
The exact source of the pollution has not yet been confirmed and a judicial investigation is underway.
Authorities have since ordered water distribution firms to install activated carbon filters -- a move they say has contained the issue.
Large-scale blood testing was carried out in Chievres in early 2024 -- and later extended to nearby areas.
Authorities said almost 1,300 people across about 10 municipalities had their blood samples taken to confirm exposure to the chemicals in recent weeks, as part of a fresh campaign launched in June.
The results, which could lead to new health recommendations, are expected later this year.
Wallonia's government, which took office last summer, has also decided to bring forward to 2025 new European Union rules requiring that drinking water must not exceed a total of 100 ng/L for 20 substances in the PFAS family.
"We have taken radical measures and all our distributors are now complying with this standard," Yves Coppieters, the regional minister for health and the environment, told AFP.
Nevertheless he acknowledged that "the population is very concerned", adding that without clarity on the source of the pollution, it might take decades to resolve the issue.
"Telling people not to eat their home-grown eggs and vegetables, setting standards for sewage sludge... for now I'm just putting out fires," said Coppieters, who favours a ban on all products containing PFAS.
Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have submitted a joint proposal for the EU to ban the production, sale, and use of almost all forever chemicals.
And the European Commission has said it is looking to ban PFAS in everyday consumer products.
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France 24
17 hours ago
- France 24
France says it cannot save contraceptives US plans to destroy
The contraceptives -- intended for some of the world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa -- were purchased by the US foreign aid agency USAID under former president Joe Biden. But France's health ministry told AFP Friday there was no legal way for it to intervene. The administration of Biden's successor Donald Trump, which has slashed USAID and pursued anti-abortion policies, confirmed last month it planned to destroy the contraceptives, which have been stored in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel. According to several media reports, the unexpired products were to be incinerated in France at the end of July by a company that specialises in destroying medical waste. France's government has come under pressure to save the contraceptives, with women's rights groups calling the US decision "insane". The health ministry told AFP that the government had "examined the courses of action available to us, but unfortunately there is no legal basis for intervention by a European health authority, let alone the French national drug safety authority, to recover these medical products. "Since contraceptives are not drugs of major therapeutic interest, and in this case we are not facing a supply shortage, we have no means to requisition the stocks," it added. The ministry also said it had no information on where the contraceptives would be destroyed. Leaving Belgian warehouse Sarah Durocher, head of the French women's rights group Family Planning, told AFP that some contraceptives had already left the Belgian warehouse. "We were informed 36 hours ago that the removal of these boxes of contraceptives had begun," Durocher said Thursday. "We do not know where these trucks are now -- or whether they have arrived in France," she added. "We call on all incineration companies not to destroy the contraceptives and to oppose this insane decision." French company Veolia confirmed to AFP that it had a contract with the US firm Chemonics, USAID's logistics provider. But Veolia emphasised that the contract concerned "only the management of expired products, which is not the case for the stockpile" in Belgium. The products, mostly long-acting contraceptives such as IUDs and birth control implants, are reportedly up to five years away from expiring. Outrage over decision The US decision has provoked an outcry in France, where rights groups and left-wing politicians have called on their government to stop the plan. "France cannot become the scene of such operations -- a moratorium is essential," an opinion piece in the French daily Le Monde said Friday. Signed by five NGOs, it condemned the "absurdity" of the US decision. Among them was MSI Reproductive Choices, one of several organisations that have offered to purchase and repackage the contraceptives at no cost to the US government. All offers have been rejected. Last week, New Hampshire's Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen pointed to the Trump administration's stated goal of reducing government waste, saying the contraceptives plan "is the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse". A US State Department spokesperson told AFP earlier this week that the destruction of the products would cost $167,000 and "no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed". The spokesperson pointed to a policy that prohibits providing aid to non-governmental organisations that perform or promote abortions. The Mexico City Policy, which critics call the "global gag rule", was first introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. It has been reinstated under every Republican president since.
France 24
5 days ago
- France 24
US plan to destroy contraceptives sparks uproar
The contraceptives are being stored in Belgium and are reportedly planned to be incinerated in France. Both European countries are under pressure to prevent the destruction. What has the US announced? On July 18, British newspaper the Guardian cited two US Congress sources as saying that President Donald Trump's administration planned to destroy $9.7 million worth of contraceptives, which are mostly long-acting such as IUDs and birth control implants. The contraceptives -- intended for some of the world's poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa -- are stored in a warehouse in the Belgian city of Geel. They are to be incinerated at the end of July, according to the Guardian report. A US State Department spokesperson told AFP this week that "a preliminary decision was made to destroy certain" birth control products from "terminated Biden-era USAID contracts". Trump's administration dismantled USAID, the country's foreign aid arm, after returning to the White House in January, replacing President Joe Biden. The State Department spokesperson said the destruction will cost $167,000 and "no HIV medications or condoms are being destroyed." Why? The spokesperson pointed AFP to a policy that prohibits providing aid to non-governmental organisations that perform or promote abortions. The Mexico City Policy, which critics call the "global gag rule", was first introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and has been reinstated under every Republican president since. The Trump administration has also slashed foreign aid, with the Senate this month approving a package that cut around $8 billion in international funding, much of it intended for USAID. Research has estimated that the USAID cuts will lead to the deaths of 14 million people by 2030. Earlier this month, the US also incinerated nearly 500 metric tons of high-nutrition biscuits which were meant to keep malnourished children in Afghanistan and Pakistan alive. Trump has also repeatedly moved to restrict abortion access in the United States, taking credit for the Supreme Court overturning the nationwide right to abortion in 2022. The US State Department also suggested to the Guardian that the contraceptives were nearing the end of their shelf life. However media reports have since said that the products expire between April 2027 and September 2031. What are the alternatives? Belgium's foreign ministry told AFP that it has "initiated diplomatic efforts with the United States embassy in Brussels" about the contraceptives. The government "is exploring all possible avenues to prevent the destruction of these products, including temporary relocation solutions," it added. The international organisation MSI Reproductive Choices said it had offered to "purchase, repackage, and manage logistics at our expense, ensuring the products reach those in need". However this offer was repeatedly rejected, it said in a statement. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) made a similar offer at "no cost to the US government" that was also turned down. What are people saying? New Hampshire's Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen pointed to the Trump administration's stated goal of reducing government waste, saying the contraceptives plan "is the epitome of waste, fraud and abuse". Shaheen and Democratic Senator Brian Schatz have introduced a bill aiming to prevent further US aid being wasted. The IPPF said the contraceptives plan is "an intentional act of reproductive coercion". Doctors Without Borders called it a "callous waste". MSI advocacy director Sarah Shaw said it was "an ideological assault on reproductive rights, and one that is already harming women". The head of the French Family Planning group, Sarah Durocher, observed that last year France became the first country to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution. "France has a moral responsibility to act," she said. French Green leader Marine Tondelier signed an open letter calling on President Emmanuel Macron to stop the contraceptives from being destroyed. "Our country cannot be complicit, even indirectly, in retrograde policies," the letter read.
Euronews
5 days ago
- Euronews
Forever chemicals found in reusable menstrual products, study finds
Reusable women's hygiene products can contain toxic chemicals, according to a study published last week that tested items from North America, South America, and Europe. Published in Environmental Science and Technology Letters, the peer-reviewed article specifically found evidence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances in eco-friendly menstrual and incontinence products, reviving the debate about the safety and health effects of feminine hygiene items. PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," consist of a large group of man-made substances with exceptional resistance to degradation. For more than 70 years, they have been added to various consumer products, among others, to enhance resistance to water, grease, and stains. The research team tested 59 products from five categories: period underwear, reusable pads, reusable incontinence underwear, reusable incontinence pads, and menstrual cups. To assess PFAS presence, scientists measured the total fluorine content, a chemical element whose elevated levels typically suggest the likely presence of 'forever chemicals'. They then extracted a smaller subset of 19 products and conducted a more in-depth analysis, targeting the levels of specific PFAS. PFAS were detected in 100 per cent of the smaller sample of 19 products. Evidence of intentionally added PFAS was found in nearly 30 per cent of the full group of 59 products, with period underwear and reusable pads showing the highest rates. Marta Venier, one of the study's authors and an environmental chemist at Indiana University, explained that the distinction between intentional and unintentional PFAS presence depends on the amount of total fluorine detected. 'When levels were above a certain threshold, that indicates that PFAS were added to the product intentionally to impart properties such as waterproofing, for example,' she told Euronews Health. In contrast, lower levels likely point to unintentional contamination during the manufacturing process, she added. This distinction is particularly significant. 'In each category of products, we found items that did not have intentionally added PFAS. This shows that you can still make these products without adding PFAS,' Venier pointed out. 'This tells us they [PFAS] are not a necessary addition to make the products functional,' she continued. What are the health risks of PFAS on women's health? PFAS include more than 10,000 substances; as a result, research has not fully determined the specific health effects of each one. Despite this gap, there is strong scientific evidence linking PFAS exposure to adverse health outcomes. In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified two PFAS as carcinogenic and possibly carcinogenic to humans. These included perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), both banned in the European Union. In addition to the risk of tumours, PFAS can damage the immune system of newborns due to maternal exposure to these toxic chemicals, which tend to accumulate in bodies over time, Tina Kold Jensen, a physician and environmental epidemiologist at the University of Southern Denmark, told Euronews Health. 'You are exposed to these substances through hygiene products, then it will take at least four years before half of what you're exposed to is out of the body. And since it's there, women of reproductive age pass them on to their children through the placenta and breast milk,' she said. Jensen also noted that PFAS exposure has been associated with other health issues, including high cholesterol, altered liver enzymes, kidney cancer, and reproductive problems. However, she emphasised that not all of these effects are fully confirmed and said that further research is needed. Another uncertainty concerns whether the direct contact of pads with the skin poses greater, lesser, or equal health risks compared to environmental exposure to 'forever chemicals'. 'PFAS exposure is mostly through the gastrointestinal channel. (...) Skin is quite a good barrier, but we don't know much. But here we're talking not only about the skin but also the vagina, its lips, that's different,' Kold Jensen said. Regarding reusable pads, Jensen added that environmental exposure is another concern: 'There's a lot of PFAS in the environment, and they will definitely get into the environment once you wash the pads,' she said. To sum up, there are still more questions than answers when it comes to the effects of PFAS on women's health. But do these eco-friendly pads pose other health risks? What do we know about reusable menstrual products? Sustainable period products are becoming increasingly common among young people. According to a 2022 study, in Spain, the use of reusable hygiene products surpassed that of disposable ones among people aged 26 to 35 at the time of the survey. The Catalan government launched a public health initiative offering a free menstrual cup, one pair of underwear and two packages of cloth pads to reduce both period poverty and the waste generated by disposable products last March. Reusable products, in fact, have been shown to be more sustainable alternatives to single-use items. Specifically, menstrual cups appear to have the lowest environmental impact, followed by period underwear and reusable pads. Aside from recent concerns about PFAS, reusable menstrual products have not been shown to pose any other major health threat, according to a global review on reusable menstrual pads. The only relevant concern appears to be skin irritation associated with long-term use of these products or inadequate cleaning or drying of the items. A similar study conducted on menstrual cups found that these products are generally safe, except for rare cases of vaginal injuries, toxic shock syndrome, or urinary problems. As for period underwear, major concerns are related to PFAS and other elements. An investigation conducted by the UK-based organisation Which? in 2023 found high silver levels in some popular period pants brands like Intima, M&S and Thinx. Thinx, in particular, has also been at the centre of the PFAS debate, when in 2020 Sierra Magazine published an investigation with the University of Notre Dame, finding PFAS in the period underwear of the brand. This led to one class-action case against the company, which was settled at the end of 2022. PFAS, however, are not exclusively present in reusable products, but they have also been found in disposable ones. In 2022, lab tests commissioned by the US consumer watchdog Mamavation and Environmental Health News revealed that PFAS were present in 48% of 46 tested sanitary pads, underwear liners, and incontinence pads. Another common factor for both single-use and reusable menstrual products is the need for further research to assess the types of PFAS present, their levels, and their health effects.
