There’s no need to control PFAS as a class, industry scientists say

By Cheryl Hogue | C&EN | May 19, 2021

Read the full article by Cheryl Hogue (C&EN)

“The number of commercial per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that need screening for possible regulation number in the hundreds, not thousands, industrial chemists say (Integr. Environ. Assess. Manage. 2021, DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4450).

Their analysis counters a policy proposal in the European Union that would restrict production and use of most PFAS—persistent synthetic chemicals designed to resist degradation—as a single class. Exposure to PFAS that are metabolically active is linked to cancer, immune system problems, developmental problems, and other health effects.

‘It’s not scientifically accurate or appropriate to base regulation on a false premise, which is what some authorities are proposing to do by saying that the number of PFAS is so high that it’s impossible to distinguish among them,’ says lead author Robert Buck, a technical fellow at Chemours…”

This content provided by the PFAS Project.