As of: January 26, 2024, 1:53 p.m
By: Julia Volkenand
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Skiers are polluting the mountains with PFAS chemicals, according to a study.
© dpa/Wolf von Dewitz
The love of winter sports comes at a high price.
Toxic chemicals released by ski wax threaten the environment and health.
Aberdeen/Graz - Alpine winter sports, especially skiing, are one of Bavaria's favorite leisure activities in the cold season.
But how environmentally friendly is it to spend the weekend on the snow-covered slopes?
The suspicion that winter sports activities could harm the environment has existed for some time.
Environmentalists' concerns are compounded by mass tourism, travel by car, day trips and the production of artificial snow.
A study by the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen and the University of Graz now seems to confirm these concerns.
The research shows that skiers leave per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) behind in the mountains.
PFAS are an extensive group of chemicals used in various industrial areas and even in the home.
They are popular because of their water and grease-repellent properties.
PFAS are also stable and long-lasting.
They can be found in pan coatings, dental floss, and even toilet paper.
However, many of these chemicals are toxic and very difficult to break down.
The Austrian Federal Environment Agency explains: “Once all PFAS have been released into the environment, they are difficult or very difficult to remove.”
Study Reveals Toxic Chemicals Released by Skiing
The Aberdeen study found that 14 of these PFAS chemicals are left behind on the slopes by skiers.
They are often used in ski waxes for their water-repellent properties, which is how they end up in the snow.
The wax makes the skis more grippy, which is why many skiers swear by it.
Interestingly, the chemicals were found in higher concentrations in the soils around Austrian ski resorts, which are mainly used by the general population and less for professional racing, than in areas that are used less often or not at all for skiing.
Viktoria Müller, the lead researcher, told the British Guardian that because the chemicals are widespread in the environment, they can be present in small quantities anywhere, but the concentration in the ski resorts studied was much higher.
“These chemicals are called forever chemicals because they take hundreds of years to break down.
This allows them to accumulate or spread throughout the wider environment, including in groundwater.
That’s the main concern.”
PFAS: Skiers leave forever chemicals in mountains
Ski waxes containing PFAS were recently banned by several ski resorts and races due to their potential toxicity.
These “forever chemicals” can have health effects on humans.
The European Food Safety Authority found in 2018 that a large proportion of the population in Europe is exposed to concentrations of long-chain PFAS (PFOS and PFOA) through food that exceed the weekly tolerable dose up to 25 times.
This can lead to an increase in cholesterol levels and impaired immune systems in children.
In addition, PFAS have been linked to the development of cancer and thyroid disease, according to the European Environment Agency.
The chemicals were also found in different concentrations in soil and groundwater in Germany.
By March 2023, the substances had been detected in 1,500 locations.
Regulating PFAS is difficult due to the large number of different groups of substances.
However, five European countries, including Germany, have submitted a proposal to restrict PFAS to the European Chemicals Agency in order to ban the production, use and import of PFAS, reports Deutschlandfunk.
The proposal must first be examined.
Critics of the move point to the significant economic impact such a ban could have on the industry.
This article was created using machine assistance and was carefully reviewed by the editor before publication.