The issues surrounding PFAS are increasingly making headline news: ‘Water and sewerage company sues 14 companies for PFAS pollution in South Carolina waterways’1; ‘Residents given PFAS tests after a local water supply is found to be contaminated with PFAS’2; ‘6% of cosmetics sold in Europe contain hazardous substances, including PFAS’3, and ‘99% of bottled water contains ‘forever chemicals’’4 These examples represent just the tip of the iceberg, underscoring the breadth and severity of the problem. But what exactly is the problem, and what can be done to address it?
What are PFAS?
According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) definition, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contain at least one perfluorinated methyl group (-CF3) or perfluorinated methylene group (-CF2-) (without any H/Cl/Br/I atom attached to it). Under this definition, there are now over 10,000 chemical compounds listed as PFAS.
The first known PFAS was polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), discovered by Fritz Schloffer and Otto Scherer in 1934. This compound was the precursor to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), better known as Teflon, discovered by accident in 1938 by Dr. Roy Plunkett and his assistant Jack Rebok when they were searching for an alternative to existing fluorocarbon-based refrigerants.5 Teflon transformed chemical use in consumer products.
Since then, thousands of different PFAS have been discovered and used in a wide range of products and settings – from cookware and clothing to medical devices, aircraft and semiconductors. Their ubiquity stems from their utility, which in turn derives from their unique qualities of chemical inertness, durability and resistance to heat, oil, stains, grease and water.
Forever chemicals
However, we now recognize there are many problems with PFAS. Firstly, their durability, chemical inertness and resistance to heat mean they do not readily break down in the environment, which has led to the coining of the term ‘forever chemicals’. The pollution now being identified in many of the stories listed above may stem from activities that happened many years ago.
Secondly, many PFAS are now recognized as harmful to human and animal health. Exposure to PFAS can lead to a variety of health issues, including thyroid disease, high cholesterol, liver damage, kidney and testicular cancer, reduced vaccine response and lower birth weights.
This combination of persistence and bioaccumulation in the environment, coupled with serious health risks, makes statistics such as at least 45% of tap water in the US is now estimated to contain one or more PFAS deeply concerning.6 The same is true of studies such as the one in Japan conducted in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 that found that 100% of pregnant woman tested positive for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA). In 2011, significant levels of other PFAS, including perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoDA), perfluorotridecanoic acid (PFTrDA), perfluorotetradecanoic acid (PFTeDA) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS), were also detected.7
PFAS are a growing problem, and a global problem. Even people who live a long way from industry, such as the residents of Ittoqqotoormiit in Northeast Greenland, are now found to have levels of PFAS in their systems that exceed European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommendations. This results from their diet, which predominantly comes from the ocean, where PFAS have accumulated and concentrated in the food chain.8
Global response
Dealing with the PFAS issue is difficult because they are omnipresent – in nature and in our clothing, cookware, foods, electronics, etc. In Europe, some PFAS are currently regulated under Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH). However, since 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has sought to introduce a universal PFAS ban under REACH.
In the US, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires manufacturers and importers of PFAS and PFAS-containing articles to electronically report information regarding their use, production volume, disposal, exposure and hazards. Several jurisdictions also enforce their own standards for PFAS. These often relate to specific product types, including Massachusetts (firefighting personal protective equipment), California (juvenile products, textiles and food packaging) and Maryland (playground surface materials). In addition, Congress has introduced proposals to ban all non-essential uses of PFAS and PFAS in food packaging.
Globally, countries such as Albania, China, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea and Switzerland regulate PFAS in accordance with the Stockholm Convention, and the UK and Canada are looking to regulate all PFAS in alignment with the EU’s universal PFAS proposal.
SGS solutions
A universal problem like PFAS requires holistic solutions. As an acknowledged leader in PFAS testing, we offer a comprehensive suite of testing services to help businesses address the unique challenges in the environment and consumer product, electronic and food and beverage industries. We support organizations in identifying and measuring PFAS contamination in a wide variety of products and environmental matrices (water, soil, air and biota).
Solutions for the environment include:
- EPA 1633 methodology – the gold standard for testing PFAS in environmental matrices
- Adsorbable organic fluorine (AOF) and extractable organic fluorine (EOF) screening – quantifies total fluorinated compounds for comprehensive environmental assessments
- Total oxidizer precursor (TOP) assay – detects precursors to PFAS, critical for long-term environmental risk assessments
For consumer products, our analytical testing capabilities include:
- Total fluorine (TF) screening – combustion technique followed by ion-chromatography (IC) with reference to EN 14582
- Total organic fluorine (TOF) screening – aqueous solution pretreatment and combustion technique followed by ion chromatography (IC) with reference to EN 14582
- PFAS targeted analysis – solvent extraction followed by detection via GC-MS or LC-MS/MS
- PFAS Screened mark – demonstrates a commitment to better chemistry
For the electronics industry, we provide:
- Raw materials testing – TF/TOF screening, targeted/non-targeted PFAS testing, and fluoropolymer analysis in accordance with product type and risk level
- Finished product verification – evaluate the risks associated with materials and finished products for compliance with PFAS requirements
- PFAS Screened mark
For foods and beverages, we offer:
- LC-MS/MS and GC-MS – demonstrate compliance with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and EFSA guidelines
- Innovative solutions such as TOP-assay and EOF
With an unrivaled global network of state-of-the-art laboratories and dedicated teams of PFAS specialists, we are the first choice for businesses and organizations looking to respond positively to the threat from PFAS.
Learn more about our comprehensive PFAS testing solutions.
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References
2 NMED offering more PFAS blood testing near Cannon AFB
3 Hazardous chemicals found in 6 per cent of European cosmetics, agency says
4 Forever chemicals were found in 99% of bottled water
5 The history of PFAS: From World War II to your Teflon pan | Manufacturing Dive
6 Tap water study detects PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ across the US | U.S. Geological Survey
© SGS Société Générale de Surveillance SA.
