Cross-country skiers race in the finish line. Photo.
Skiers compete with PFAS-free wax in this year’s Olympics. What product updates might we see at the next games if the PFAS ban goes through? Photo by Martine Jacobsen, Unsplash

Researchers call for more product updates ahead of next Winter Olympics

News published:  20/02/2026

For the first time in this year’s Winter Olympics, athletes compete using ski wax without PFAS. At the same time, researchers are calling for stricter EU rules on PFAS, warning that these chemicals are used in many products beyond ski wax.

The proposal for an EU-wide restriction on PFAS has stalled in the European Parliament. In a newly published policy brief, PFAS experts argue that delaying action risks prolonging environmental contamination and human exposure. Their goal: bring the issue back to the top of the political agenda.

For products like ski wax, where PFAS-free alternatives already exist, a ban is both necessary and justified given the chemicals’ harmful effects on health and the environment, says Lutz Ahrens, researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

The proposed EU restriction includes certain exemptions. Experts emphasise that such exemptions should only apply for a limited period.

Most PFAS-containing products already have PFAS-free alternatives. Exemptions should therefore be strictly time-limited, says Lutz.

According to the policy brief, a ban could strengthen the European economy in the long term and give them a competitive advantage, by driving innovation towards safer materials and encourage EU-based production, while reducing imports.

Innovation opened the door to stronger control

The debate over PFAS reflects a broader lesson from chemical history. Today, we know that substances like DDT and PFAS are harmful to both human health and the environment. In the past, such knowledge often came only after decades of widespread use. Advances in analytical technology now allow us to detect hazardous chemicals at extremely low concentrations and to better understand how they move through ecosystems and accumulate in living organisms. 

We are currently developing methods to identify hazardous substances and processes so that they can be regulated together before they spread widely. My hope is that, in the future, we won’t be left reacting too late, as we did with PFAS, says Lutz.

Remediation alone is not enough

Several research projects on PFAS removal, including those at SLU, are exploring ways to remove PFAS from contaminated soil and water. Early results are promising, but remediation is complex, costly and technically demanding. 

However, the most important step to prevent further PFAS contamination is to stop producing and selling PFAS-containing products, says Lutz.

Cleaning up existing PFAS contaminated hotspots is a necessary next step, but particularly challenging given their widespread presence and varied properties. Political support for action is essential – both to accelerate the replacement of PFAS in everyday products and to manage the legacy of past emissions

Publication

English reference version of Policy brief in collaboration with the Baltic Sea Centre at Stockholm University: Be restrictive with derogations for uses of PFAS in the new EU-ban

Research projects about PFAS

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