Several hundred employees of the SEB Group take to French streets in Paris against the proposed law on PFAS, used in particular in the manufacture of non-stick ports and pans. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are synthetic chemicals that were first developed in the 1940s to withstand intense heat and repel water and grease. "These pans have been around for 50 years and there's no reason why they should be causing so many problems today," an employee of the SEB Group tells AFP. "We are faced with a bill devoid of impact studies, based on erroneous or incomplete scientific assertions, and so we are here to call for the bill to be withdrawn," the CEO fo the group says. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES