Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

386 Chapter 14: Environment, Health and Wellbeing Chemicals Chemicals play a vital part in our daily lives. We are in contact with them all the time at home and at work. They are used to clean the water we drink, used in the production of the food we eat, form the clothing we wear and the electronics we use, and cure us from many illnesses, to name just a few vital uses. There has been a 50-fold increase in the production of chemicals since 1950, and the number is anticipated to triple again by 2050 (EEA, 2018). In 2021 over 90 million tonnes of chemicals posing risks to human health were produced and consumed in the EU. 10 Humanity is now deemed to have exceeded its safe operating space – or to be outside its planetary boundary – for novel chemical entities and pollution (Persson et al ., 2022). Some chemicals or products containing them may harm us when in use (e.g. through ingestion, inhalation or absorption through the skin), while others, if not managed properly, may be released into the environment and cause pollution. Some of these chemicals move freely in the environment (e.g. from air to water), travelling long distances from where they were first released, while others can accumulate in soils and potentially enter the food chain. Substances harmful to us or to our environment can be classified by the threats they pose; for example, some groups may cause cancer while others may be highly toxic to humans and other animals or plants. Chemical pollution can also have long-term and large-scale impacts on our environment, including degrading ecosystems, reducing biodiversity by causing declines in animal populations or diversity, and compromising the ecosystem services humans require for clean drinking water and food production. The transition towards safer and more sustainable chemicals and the control and phasing out of the most harmful chemicals is therefore critical for human and ecosystem health. Persistent organic pollutants. Certain chemicals that are highly persistent in the environment, can bioaccumulate and are toxic to humans and wildlife have been classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). They can pose serious, prolonged risks to human health and the environment. Given the hazards they present, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants was adopted, which aims to protect human health and the environment by taking measures to eliminate or reduce the release of listed POPs into the environment. Under the Convention, there are bans on the production and use of certain POPs. The POPs controlled under the Convention fall into three broad groups: 10 ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Chemicals_production_and_consumption_statistics (accessed 16 July 2024). 1. pesticides, such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DTT) and pentachlorobenzene 2. unintentionally produced POPs, such as dioxins and furans, which can be produced from backyard burning and accidental fires 3. industrial POPs, such as specific chemicals containing bromine, fluorine or chlorine, including three specific PFAS (perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS)). Ireland’s last national implementation plan under the Stockholm Convention, which outlines measures taken to eliminate or reduce the release of POPs into the environment from intentional production, was published in 2018 (EPA, 2018). A revised plan is due to be published in 2024. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAS (commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’) have attracted much attention on European and international stages in recent years. PFAS are part of a very large group of chemicals that are temperature and chemical resistant, are capable of imparting water and oil repellence and have surfactant properties. These chemical and physical properties have seen the widespread and ubiquitous use of PFAS in a range of consumer products and industrial processes over many years, such as in clothing, non-stick cookware, firefighting foams and food packaging.