Environment Ministry moves to regulate ‘forever chemicals’ after High Court order

The Environmental Protection Ministry published a draft of new regulations on Wednesday aimed at restricting the production, trade and use of “forever chemicals,” toxic pollutants known for not breaking down and eventually entering the environment and human bodies.

The chemicals are primarily found in pesticides, flame retardants, industrial adhesives and materials in the plastic and textile industries, such as waterproof fabrics and food packaging.

The regulations, which are open for public comment until August 17, come following legal action by Adam Teva V’Din. The environmental advocacy organization had petitioned the High Court of Justice in 2022 to force the ministry to regulate the chemicals, and the court had asked the ministry for an update on the issue by September 24.

The ministry said the substances, persistent organic pollutants from the PFAS family, pose “a particularly high risk to public health,” and that “prolonged exposure to them may cause cancer, damage to the nervous system, birth defects, damage to the hormonal system and more.”

The ministry added,: “In addition to the health risk to the public, the environment is also damaged. The substances do not decompose, accumulate in groundwater, soil, air, and in the fatty tissues of animals and humans, and may migrate great distances from the source of the contamination.”

A report published by the Water Authority in February found “significant and widespread presence of these contaminants in water sources and throughout the water use chain,” in groundwater, drinking water production wells, wastewater, surface runoff and irrigation water.

The report said PFAS contamination had been detected in groundwater beneath 22 industrial sites in Israel, at fuel tank farms, airports and industrial plants.

Next year, a new limit of 0.1 micrograms per liter will be implemented for 20 PFAS compounds.

Concentrations more than 1,000 times higher than that were detected at seven groundwater sites. At 11 sites, the levels were more than 100 times higher.

Of 465 wells used mainly to supply drinking water, PFAS compounds were detected in 74. In 27 of them, the concentrations were higher than the new standard.

Over 170 irrigation reservoirs were also tested, most of which hold wastewater used to irrigate agricultural fields. PFAS contaminants were detected in 70 percent of the reservoirs, with levels exceeding the new standard in 10% of them.

In 2001, Israel signed the Stockholm Convention, which aims to restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants. These regulations are a first step toward ratifying the convention.

“This is an important step on the way to removing these chemicals from use and stopping this terrible pollution that harms the health of all of us,” Meirav Abadi, who oversees the economy and regulation at Adam Teva V’Din, and Bar Rozov, director of the legal department, said in a statement. “We will continue to work to ensure that the regulations are established and implemented, as well as to clean up and purify the contaminated sources.”