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The National Council will discuss measures against PFAS perpetuating chemicals on Tuesday.
Picture: Parlamentsdienste/Rob Lewis
Contaminated meat, polluted drinking water, diseased soil: PFAS are everywhere - and are almost impossible to get rid of. Today, the National Council has to decide how Switzerland should deal with these "eternal chemicals".
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In an extraordinary session today, the National Council will focus exclusively on PFAS, the so-called "eternity chemicals". The debate starts at 9 a.m. and deals with eight motions from all parliamentary groups.
PFAS are chemicals that are found in countless products: raincoats, frying pans, cosmetics, packaging and high-tech devices. They repel water, grease and dirt and are extremely resistant. There are over 10,000 different PFAS - invented to make everyday life more practical.
The problem: PFAS are practically indestructible. They remain in the environment forever and accumulate in the body. This is why they are referred to as "eternal chemicals".
PFAS are considered highly risky for health. Studies have linked them to cancer, thyroid disorders, immune system disorders and infertility. Even the smallest amounts can be problematic because they accumulate in the body and are hardly broken down.
High PFAS levels were discovered in the soil and meat at a farm in eastern Switzerland.
Picture: Keystone
The environment is also affected. PFAS pollute soils, rivers and groundwater. There have been several cases in Switzerland: contaminated meat in St. Gallen, contaminated fish in Ticino and drinking water bans at Basel Airport. Affected farms had to destroy products or close down fields.
The consequences are not only massive in terms of health, but also financially. Remediation is complicated and extremely expensive. According to a Europe-wide study, the costs for Switzerland could amount to up to CHF 26 billion per year if the pollution is not stopped.
A motion from the Council of States' Environment Committee has been tabled to kick off the debate. It calls for realistic limit values for PFAS - with consideration for agriculture and water suppliers - and support for affected farms. This motion is considered to have a good chance of success and is also supported by the Federal Council.
Then come the fundamental issues. The SP wants to allow PFAS only for truly "essential" purposes. The Green Liberals propose reduction paths for each sector. The FDP calls for the promotion of safe alternatives and an additional declaration obligation. The Federal Council rejects all three proposals because it wants to take its lead from the EU.
Other initiatives are aimed at agriculture. The Center Party demands limit values with accompanying measures, while the SVP calls for rapid assistance for affected farms. Finally, the Greens put forward the most radical idea: a levy at source on all PFAS to finance a clean-up fund. Here too, the Federal Council rejects the idea.
The left wing of the Council hopes for stricter laws against PFAS.
Picture: Parlamentsdienste/Rob Lewis
An extraordinary session is a special parliamentary instrument for dealing with an issue in a concentrated manner. It can come about in various ways. The easiest way is for at least a quarter of the members of a Council - i.e. 50 National Councillors - to submit a request. In the current case, this was not necessary because identical motions were submitted in the National Council and the Council of States.
What is striking is that the majority of the PFAS motions submitted are backed by left-wing members of the Council. 45 members of the National Council and Council of States from the SP and the Greens have signed at least one of the PFAS motions. However, their motions will not dominate the debate, as many motions have been submitted by the centre-right.
Green Party National Councillor Marionna Schlatter, who is calling for a kind of PFAS tax, nevertheless celebrated the special session as a victory for her political side. In an article on the party website, she writes that the Greens are "putting the PFAS danger on the political agenda" and writes: "We are pleased that Parliament is taking the invisible danger posed by PFAS seriously. Quite in contrast to the Federal Council, which declared at the beginning of September that it would forego an important and overdue study on the extent of PFAS pollution."
