Project to detect the presence of so-called 'forever chemicals'
Zagreb, June 26, 2026 - “Ten of our fellow citizens are traveling to Brussels next week to participate in a project aimed at detecting the presence of so-called 'forever chemicals,' which are extremely difficult to break down in the environment and the human body, posing a significant health risk,” announced today at a press conference Gordan Bosanac, a Možemo MP in the European Parliament.
“Forever chemicals are extremely difficult to break down in the environment and the human body, and long-term exposure poses a significant health risk to both humans and animals. Due to their properties, they can easily move through the environment and drinking water, making people readily exposed, which increases the risk of kidney, testicular, and liver cancer, impairs immunity and leads to the development of infections, affects fertility and hormonal balance, and also has toxic effects on the liver and kidneys,”he explained.
As he stated, this is a major European project initiated by the Greens / EFA group in the European Parliament, which aims to determine the frequency of PFAS chemical presence in residents of areas with significant industrial production, as well as residents of areas at risk of pollution from waste disposal and the release of PFAS into the environment and nature.
From Croatia, citizens traveling to Brussels include those living near Kaštijun in Istria, in Gospić where there is an unaddressed illegal landfill for medical and other hazardous waste, as well as citizens living near illegal waste dumps in Split-Dalmatia County.
“We specifically invited citizens living near waste disposal sites for testing, including illegal ones with hazardous waste like the one in Gospić, but also legal new waste management centers that cause air pollution, and those near industrial facilities,” says Dušica Radojčić, President of the Committee for Environmental and Nature Protection of the Croatian Parliament and a Možemo MP.
The research results will be published in the autumn, and a renowned Dutch scientist leads the team for results analysis, Professor Emeritus Jacob de Boer from the University of Amsterdam.
In accordance with the rules that came into force in the EU at the beginning of this year, Croatia tests public and local water supply systems serving more than 50 inhabitants for PFAS, but this does not include private wells and groundwater. Sampling locations are primarily taps at the point of consumption in specific facilities chosen by county public health institutes.
“Industry is the largest source of PFAS environmental contamination, but it is closely followed by consumer products, detergents, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and inadequate waste disposal. When consumer products containing PFAS, such as old Teflon pans, waterproof jackets, cosmetics, or packaging, end up in landfills, they slowly decompose and enter the environment through leachate. PFAS contamination has been recorded at tens of thousands of locations across the EU. Therefore, member states are obliged to monitor PFAS concentrations in drinking water starting from January 2026. This year's analyses by the Croatian Institute of Public Health have shown that PFAS is present in drinking water, and preliminary results indicate that concentrations are below limit values. Occasional tests conducted during 2022 and 2024 at various locations in Croatia showed the presence of certain substances above permissible levels. As an example of a source of contamination, I present the results of egg analyses conducted after a large fire at a plastic processing plant in Osijek – the presence of PFAS was higher than in analyses conducted before the fire,” continued Dušica Radojčić.
“Unfortunately, even the new testing and reporting rules that came into force across the EU at the beginning of this year do not adequately protect citizens because PFAS is very widespread in the environment. Exposure can be reduced by avoiding products that contain them. One measure I consider essential is far more serious and truly deterrent penalties for polluters. The Directive on environmental criminal offenses came into force in May 2024, and the deadline for its transposition into Croatian legislation expired in May 2026. I regret that the Ministry of Justice is late with this, as transposition introduces stricter penalties and new definitions of environmental crime”," Radojčić concluded.
Additional information about PFAS:
PFAS substances have the ability to bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife, high mobility (they can move through the environment and contaminate drinking water sources), potential for long-range transport (they can contaminate areas far from emission sources), accumulation in plants (they can contaminate food sources), and (eco)toxicological effects that can impact humans and the environment.
Key health risks
Scientific research links PFAS exposure to the following conditions:
The main sources of exposure are:
What is the broader health and economic impact of not addressing the PFAS problem in the EU?
A study published by the European Commission in January 2026 reveals the following:
The health impact analysis focused on four well-researched PFAS compounds (PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, and PFNA).
Even in a scenario of a complete ban on PFAS production and use, it would take 15 to 20 years for blood concentrations to significantly decrease, while contaminated soil would continue to be a source of exposure due to the long-term persistence of these chemicals.
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