“Eternal pollutants”, namely chemicals and carcinogens, would be present in toilet paper. This is revealed by an American study which has just been published this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology Letters.
PFAS, also known as “eternal pollutants”, are chemical substances that seep into wastewater and soils and are found in many everyday objects such as cosmetics, kitchen utensils such as non-stick pans , food packaging and even toilet paper.
The presence of eternal pollutants in toilet paper can be explained by the fact that some manufacturers add chemical substances during the transformation of wood into paper pulp, traces of which persist in the final product.
Very long life cycle
These so-called eternal pollutants owe their nickname to their very long life cycle. They would be associated with several types of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, but also responsible for fertility problems and developmental disorders in children.
A year ago, the European Chemicals Agency proposed banning them. But we will still have to wait for member states to ratify a European Commission proposal by 2025.
►Also read: Eternal pollutants: a survey maps 17,000 sites polluted with PFAS in Europe