Dutch Doctors Call on Cabinet to Ban PFAS Production and Use
Leading Dutch physicians urge the new cabinet to impose a full ban on PFAS chemicals due to health risks, highlighting concerns for both children and adults
A group of prominent Dutch doctors has addressed an open letter to informateur Rianne Letschert, who is leading the process to form a new cabinet in the Netherlands, urging an immediate and comprehensive ban on the production, use, and discharge of PFAS chemicals. Among the signatories are intensive care specialist Diederik Gommers, pulmonologist Wanda de Kanter, and Evelyn Brakema, a family doctor who chairs the Green Care Alliance. They stress the harmful effects PFAS can have on people’s health, including unborn children, noting that these chemicals can weaken the immune system and reduce children’s resistance to vaccinations.
PFAS, a group of over 10,000 human-made chemicals used by industry, are known for their persistence in the environment. Experts warn that PFAS do not break down and can enter the food chain—as well as the human body—through air, water, and soil. Evelyn Brakema stated, “Unfortunately, PFAS don’t disappear. That’s why they are called ‘forever chemicals.’”
According to a July report from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, almost everyone in the Netherlands has blood levels of PFAS that exceed legal safety limits. The doctors argue that a decisive and comprehensive ban would provide significant benefits—not just improving public health, but also safeguarding the future of the healthcare system and reducing the economic burden associated with PFAS-related illnesses.
