Climate and environmental protection modern energy Priority Research Area POB6

“Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals widely used in industry and consumer products, and now detected across environmental media and human populations. This study assesses the societal costs of PFAS pollution in the European Economic Area (EEA) under four hypothetical exposure scenarios: 1) business as usual (BAU) for emissions; 2) full compliance with the Drinking Water Directive (DWD); 3) full compliance with Environmental Quality Standards (EQS); and 4) a total ban on PFAS production and use. Scenario modelling was conducted for the period 2024–2050, projecting PFAS emissions, environmental concentrations, and human exposure across different population cohorts. Based on this, human health impacts were quantified and monetised, soil remediation and water treatment costs were estimated, and the potential costs of ecosystem service losses were assessed qualitatively. In 2024, quantifiable annual health costs from human exposure to PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS and PFNA (for which sufficient literature evidence was available) were estimated at EUR 39.5 [0.005-600.5] billion/year, while annual treatment/remediation costs are estimated at EUR 3.8 [0.002-24.2] billion/year. The total quantifiable costs are predicted to decrease slowly over the assessment period in scenarios 1 (BAU) and 2 (DWD) due to decreasing health costs from legacy PFAS, while treatment/remediation costs and ecosystem service losses would increase. Scenario 3 (EQS) would lead to the elimination of health costs by 2040, but is associated with tens of billions of EUR of wastewater treatment costs annually. Scenario 4 would eliminate the health costs from legacy PFAS in the 2040s, and lead to a reduction in remediation costs. Ecosystem service losses would also decrease in scenarios 3 and 4.”

Source, read more: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/2bcea765-fbf8-11f0-8da5-01aa75ed71a1/language-en