PFAS: Pollution in the EU could cost up to €1.7 trillion

By Stéphane Horel and Raphaëlle Aubert | Le Monde | January 29, 2026

Read the full article by Stéphane Horel and Raphaëlle Aubert (Le Monde)

"The contamination of humans and their environment by forever chemicals has imposed a substantial cost on society. Until now, an official estimate was missing to confirm this. On Thursday, January 29, the European Commission released a study that assessed the cost of pollution from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the European Economic Area. Depending on the scenario, costs are expected to range from €330 billion to €1.7 trillion by 2050.

If no action were taken to halt PFAS production in Europe, emissions into the environment could nearly triple between 2020 and 2050, reaching as much as 4.4 million tons. According to the report, this worsening would increase the number of contaminated sites from 11,500 to 14,200 and, consequently, increase the number of people exposed.

Thus, according to the study, nearly one in six Europeans, around 76.5 million people, could have high levels of contamination, putting them at risk of developing illnesses linked to this exposure."