Pfas risk in Vorarlberg: Environmental office demands action and education!

Pfas risk in Vorarlberg: Environmental office demands action and education!

Vorarlberg, Österreich - A current blood test from Obrist Engineering has unearthed alarming results about PFAs (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) in the company's employees. These tests were evaluated by an independent laboratory and show a significant burden with PFAs, such as the Vorarlberg Environmental Institute . Dr. Christoph Scheffknecht, the head of the institute, emphasizes that a concrete evaluation of the results is currently difficult because there is not enough detailed data. He emphasizes that the examined substance, the trifluorethanol (TFA), is not strongly toxic, but has potentially long -term health risks.

The drinking water in Vorarlberg has been examined on Pfas since 2022, with over 200 samples being taken and evaluated. The good news is that so far the legal limit for PFAs has not been exceeded in drinking water. This limit, which will apply to the entire EU from 2026, is already determined in the Austrian Drinking Water Ordinance. The results of these examinations can be viewed publicly and provide important information for the population.

Health risks of PFAS

The BUND for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND) . The federal government examined blood samples from members and employees on PFAs and found several chemicals, some in health -questioning concentrations. These results confirm the worrying risks connected to PFAs, including cancer, organ damage and increased miscarriage rates. Olaf Bandt, the chairman of the federal government, calls for an EU-wide ban on PFAs and criticizes that only 20 of the over 10,000 PFAS single substances are regulated under chemical substances.

The tested PfAS chemicals included Pfoa, Pfna, Pfda, PfHXs, PFHPS and PFOs. The highest concentrations were found at PFOs with up to 15 ng/ml and PFHXs with 5.7 ng/ml. It is alarming that the limit for PfOs in the blood of 5 ng/ml has been exceeded in two samples. These chemicals are considered extremely persistent and accumulate both in the human body and in the environment. Hardly any children are born in the blood without pfas, which illustrates the urgency of the topic.

Way to regulate Pfas

The authorities are working on the European level of regulating the use of PFAs. The Environmental Federal Agency informs that the public consultation to the restriction dossier for PFAS has already ended. The ECHA (European Chemical Agency) has started with the evaluation of these substances. The previous comments from the consultation flow into the risk assessment and socio -economic analysis. The planned sectors for the meetings include consumer goods, cosmetics and textiles.

The evaluation is supported by national authorities and interested circles, and it is planned that after completing this scientific assessment, the revised dossier will be forwarded to the European Commission. This will then decide together with the EU member states about possible restrictions from PFAS. The UBA calls for a quick examination and comprehensive implementation of the proposals to minimize the use of these harmful chemicals.