A technical article with an austere title (

When industry manipulates science to prevent a PFAS ban

submited by

Style Pass

2025-01-21 22:00:05

A technical article with an austere title ("Grouping of PFAS for human health risk assessment"). Signed by an "independent panel of experts." Published in a peer-reviewed journal belonging to the world's leading scientific publishing group, Elsevier. Who could question the seriousness of this apparent contribution to the building of knowledge on the toxicity of per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS), the toxic man-made chemicals ubiquitous in the environment?

And yet, the article, published in October 2022, stands out instead for its innovation in strategies for manipulating science. Le Monde and its partners in the Forever Lobbying Project investigation were interested in it because it is readily employed by lobbyists to maintain confusion and doubt about the proposed ban on PFAS in the European Union (EU), under discussion since February 2023.