Lawyer: Weak enforcement, not lack of laws, keeps banned chemicals in EU products

Speaking to France 24, ClientEarth Senior Environmental Lawyer Hélène Duguy addressed the widespread contamination of PFAS, often called "forever chemicals," across Europe.

According to Duguy, these highly persistent substances have been detected in water and soil, in food, in consumer products, and even within the human body. She noted that the risks associated with PFAS are now increasingly well documented by science, and that alternatives already exist for many of their current uses.

An enforcement gap, not a legal one

The European Union has already put in place an extensive regulatory framework governing hazardous chemicals. Yet Duguy argues the core problem is not a shortage of scientific knowledge or legislation itself, but rather weak enforcement of existing rules, slow progress on new regulation, and resistance from industry.

As a result, hazardous chemicals continue to circulate on the market even where restrictions are formally in place. This means consumer products can contain illegal levels of restricted substances, despite technically violating current EU law.

Duguy's comments highlight a gap between what EU environmental law states on paper and how it is actually applied in practice, with consequences for both consumer safety and the environment across the bloc.