February 17, 2023
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published the proposal restricting around 10,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Prepared by authorities in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, the proposal aims to reduce PFAS emissions into the environment by imposing a ban on the manufacture, placing on the market and use of PFAS.
A six-month open consultation by ECHA’s scientific committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) will start on 22 March 2023.
In the proposal, PFAS are defined as “Any substance that contains at least one fully fluorinated methyl (-CF¬3-) or methylene (-CF2-) carbon atom (without any H/CL/Br/I)”. This definition is applied to more than 10,000 PFAS. A few PFAS subgroups that are expected to completely mineralise in the environment are excluded from the scope of the restriction.
PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” due to concern about their persistence in the environment – some can take decades or even centuries to degrade. Some PFAS are also under scrutiny regarding their potential to have an adverse effect on human health, with concerns relating to carcinogenicity and immunotoxicity. The authorities estimate that about 4.4 million tonnes of PFAS would be accumulated in the environment over the next 30 years.
