BRUSSELS, March 26 (Reuters) - The European Chemicals Agency on Thursday recommended a broad EU-wide ban on PFAS, or "forever chemicals," with some ⁠exemptions as policymakers prepare legally binding limits on substances posing health risks that linger in the environment.

PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, ⁠do not break down in the environment, raising concerns about their accumulation in ecosystems, drinking water and the ⁠human body.

They are used in thousands of ‌items, from cosmetics and non-stick pans to aircraft and wind turbines, because they resist extreme heat and corrosion.

The chemical agency's risk assessment committee backed an EU-wide ban on the manufacture, sale and use of PFAS, according to an opinion it published on Thursday.

"PFAS can cause risks to people and ‌environment if not properly controlled. An EU-wide restriction is, therefore, an effective measure to ​reduce these ‌risks," committee chair Roberto Scazzola said in ‌a statement.

Research linking PFAS exposure to health issues - including liver damage, lower birth weight and testicular cancer - has raised litigation ⁠risks for companies.

SOME EXEMPTIONS FOR ESSENTIAL USES?

If exemptions are deemed ‌necessary, the committee said the ⁠EU should also introduce stricter controls ​on PFAS pollution.

EU environment chief Jessika Roswall ‌previously told Reuters that Brussels' planned PFAS ban included exemptions for "essential" uses, such as in asthma inhalers and semiconductors used in electric vehicles.

A second ECHA committee assessing the socio-economic impact of a ​potential PFAS ban said in a draft opinion that it also ‌backed ‌a broad restriction, with targeted exemptions for products with no PFAS alternatives.

The ECHA opinions will inform ‌an upcoming EU legal proposal, ​with Brussels proposing legally binding curbs on PFAS after the second committee's draft opinion is finalised by year-end.

Industrial applications such as plastics and electronics production account for most PFAS ⁠use, according to data from Nordic countries' chemicals agencies.

U.S. lawsuits have yielded ‌settlements worth more than $11 billion involving companies including 3M and Chemours Co, over contamination of water.

(Reporting ​by Kate Abnett; Editing by Bernadette Baum)