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Schleswig-Holstein to ban PFAS pesticides in water protection areas
🇩🇪 Germany /Environment & Climate

Schleswig-Holstein to ban PFAS pesticides in water protection areas

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency New plan
  • Schleswig-Holstein plans to ban PFAS-containing pesticides in all water protection areas to safeguard groundwater.
  • The proposed regulation, currently undergoing hearings, aims to reduce PFAS entering the environment, as these persistent chemicals are found everywhere and are difficult to remove from drinking water.
  • The state's Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt is pushing for strict European and national regulations on PFAS, while the Naturschutzbund (Nabu) supports the planned ban.

Schleswig-Holstein is set to become the first German state to implement a comprehensive ban on pesticides containing PFAS in all its water protection areas. Environment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt announced the move, emphasizing the urgent need to prevent these "forever chemicals" from contaminating the environment and groundwater, which is the sole source of drinking water in the state.

We must ensure that less PFAS end up in nature.

— Tobias GoldschmidtEnvironment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt explaining the rationale behind the proposed ban on PFAS-containing pesticides.

PFAS, a group of over 10,000 synthetic industrial chemicals known for their water, fat, and heat resistance, are used in products like firefighting foam and non-stick pans. However, they pose significant health risks, with some acting as endocrine disruptors and others suspected of causing cancer or harming reproduction. Goldschmidt highlighted that these substances accumulate in water and do not degrade, making them a pervasive issue in northern Germany.

Schleswig-Holstein is the first federal state to ban the use in protected areas comprehensively.

— Tobias GoldschmidtEnvironment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt highlighting the pioneering nature of the proposed regulation.

The proposed regulation will immediately ban 19 pesticides with PFAS for which alternatives exist. An eight-year transition period will be granted for eight other substances, with a culture-specific provision for three more. This ban will affect approximately 15,000 hectares of agricultural land within the state's 57,000 hectares of water protection areas.

Some are hormonally active, others are suspected of being carcinogenic or endanger reproduction and unborn children during pregnancy.

— Tobias GoldschmidtEnvironment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt describing the health risks associated with PFAS.

Goldschmidt criticized the current market availability of numerous PFAS-containing pesticides, calling for strict European and national regulations. He stated his intention to do "what is legally possible" to prevent these substances from being directly applied to fields. In 2024, Germany used about 1,140 tons of PFAS-containing pesticides. Environmental groups like Naturschutzbund (Nabu) have welcomed the planned ban, though they note it is long overdue.

They accumulate in the water and are not broken down.

— Tobias GoldschmidtEnvironment Minister Tobias Goldschmidt explaining the persistence of PFAS in the environment.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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