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HEALTH

Danish government criticised for failure to reduce PFAS contamination

The Danish national auditor Rigsrevisionen has criticised both the Environment and Defence ministries for failing to limit the use and emission of the controversial ‘forever chemical’ PFAS over a period spanning several years.

Published: 24 April 2023 15:43 CEST
Danish government criticised for failure to reduce PFAS contamination
Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke has pledged a "service check" after two ministries were criticised by the state auditor over PFAS contamination and management going back to 2007. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Minister of the Environment Magnus Heunicke acknowledged in a statement on Monday that too little had been done to limit PFAS contamination in Denmark.

That came after newspaper Politiken reported that the national auditor Rigsrevisionen, which reports to the Danish parliament, has issued robust criticism of both ministries.

“We must be completely sure that we have corrected all the errors in authorities’ management of PFAS,” Heunicke said.

“We are therefore now initiating a wide-ranging service check of the relevant environmental authorities that have dealings with PFAS,” he said.

READ ALSO: Danish agency says organic eggs no longer contain increased PFAS

In its report to the Public Accounts Committee (Statsrevisorerne), the state auditor said that work by the finance and defence ministries related to PFAS in the years 2007-2021 were “very dissatisfactory”.

Opposition party the Socialist People’s Party (SF) has called for Heunicke to answer to a parliamentary committee over the report.

“The [state auditor’s] criticism is serious and I am disturbed by how much the Ministry for the Environment has actually failed its responsibilities on this issue,” SF environment spokesperson Carl Valentin said in a statement.

“The spread of PFAS has potentially major consequences for human health and we don’t yet know the full extent of its effect on nature,” he said.

“Regardless of this, large companies have been allowed to use it in everything from tooth floss to children’s snow suits,” he said.

What are PFAS? 

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of synthetic chemicals used in various products since the early 1950s. Their past uses include foam in fire extinguishers, food packaging and in textiles, carpets and paints. Also known as ‘forever chemicals’, they persist in water and soil and can cause harm to human health. 

Due to their chemical properties, they take a long time to break down and can be found in very low concentrations in blood samples from populations all over the world.

They are, however, unwanted in the environment because they have been found to have concerning links to health complications. Their use in materials which come into contact with foods, like paper and card, has been banned in Denmark since 2020.

PFAS have been linked to a series of health complications and, if ingested in high enough amounts, are suspected of causing liver damage, kidney damage, elevated cholesterol levels, reduced fertility, hormonal disturbances, weaker immune systems, negatively affecting foetal development and being carcinogenic.

READ ALSO: PFAS pollution: What do people living in Denmark need to know?

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HEALTH

Denmark registers first 2024 case of tick-borne encephalitis

This year’s first Danish case of tick-borne encephalitis has been registered in northern Zealand, the national infectious disease agency State Serum Institute (SSI) confirmed.

Published: 21 June 2024 10:45 CEST
Denmark registers first 2024 case of tick-borne encephalitis

Although the disease is very rare in Denmark, there are usually a handful of cases each year. The forested area around Tisvilde Hegn and elsewhere in northern Zealand are particular risk zones along with parts of Bornholm.

“Infection is usually linked to spending time in risk areas, and typically going off the paths, Peter H.S. Andersen, doctor and head of department at SSI, said in a statement.

“But there have also been cases of TBE where the patient has not demonstrated known risk behaviour by going into in woods or thickets,” he added.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about ticks in Denmark and how to avoid them

Earlier this year, it was reported that people in Copenhagen and surrounding areas of Zealand have increasingly sought vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) after an increase in ticks in parts of the countryside.

The risk of TBE remains small but case numbers have increased slightly in recent years. Some 11 cases were registered in 2023 compared with around 1 or 2 annually a decade ago.

Ticks (skovflåter) can be found all over Denmark in forests, meadows, and long grass. They are particularly active during the summer months and increase in number if the weather has been warm and humid.

In Denmark, the most common disease ticks transmit is Lyme disease, but ticks can also carry the very rare but dangerous TBE.

Only people who spend extended time in forests near Tisvilde Hegn as well as on the island of Bornholm should consider vaccination, SSI experts have previously said.

TBE is a viral brain infection caused by a particular tick bite. Flu-like symptoms can occur a week or more after the bite and can develop to include nausea, dizziness, and in around a third of cases, severe long-term problems or permanent neurological damage.

Denmark’s tick season last from spring until autumn.

In contrast to Lyme disease, the TBE virus infects its target quickly after the tick bite.

“That’s why it’s important to remove a tick as soon as you find it. Either with your fingers, a tweezer or a special tick remover,” Andersen said.

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