You might not have heard of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) but they have been around for a while. They are useful chemicals that enable the production of many very handy products, the problem is, they’re here to stay for a lot longer that we might like, giving them the nickname “forever chemicals”.

With growing awareness of the long-term impacts of some chemical groups, PFAS are coming under scrutiny and the pressure is on for rapid reductions in their use. Future use of PFAS will not only increase the long-term harm being done, they will also attract bad publicity for those manufacturers and suppliers continue to use them.

Knowledge of our products and their manufacture is crucial if we are to reduce environmental impact and maintain the eco-friendly business models that we want. The following articles gathered by Phil Bremner Editor: Containment News, Flood News & LPRA eNews Business Synergies Limited,

shed light on PFAS and the discussions surrounding their elimination from manufacturing processes and the environment.

SCALE OF FOREVER CHEMICALS ACROSS UK & EUROPE

Pollutants known as “forever chemicals”, which don’t break down in the environment, build up in the body and may be toxic, have been found at high levels at thousands of sites across the UK and Europe, a major mapping project has revealed. The map shows that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of about 10,000 chemicals valued for their non-stick and detergent properties, have made their way into water, soils, and sediments from a wide range of consumer products, firefighting foams, waste, and industrial processes …  www.theguardian.com

PFAS COULD DISRUPT VITAL IMMUNE CELL FUNCTION

The negative health effects of chemicals called PFAS continue to be uncovered. Scientists from North Carolina State University (NCSU) have now shown that some types of PFAS can disrupt vital functions of immune cells. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad group of chemicals that are becoming more and more problematic the more research is done on them. Since they were developed in the 1940s, their non-stick and water-repellent properties made them appealing for a range of uses in common household products …  www.newatlas.com

FRESHWATER FISH FILLED WITH PFAS AT ALARMING LEVELS

Researchers at Environmental Working Group analysed more than 500 fish fillet samples collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2013 to 2015. The median level of the PFAS compound known as PFOS in the fish was 8,410 parts per trillion, or ppt. That means eating one 8-ounce serving of fish with that much PFOS, the study shows, is equivalent to drinking water containing PFOS at 48 ppt for a month – which would be 2,400 times the EPA’s recommended limit …  www.boisestatepublicradio.org

$58B DAY OF RECKONING LOOMS FOR 3M OVER PFAS

Global chemicals maker 3M will be accused of a decades-long campaign to deceive the public about the risks of its controversial “forever chemicals” as it faces a series of bombshell legal claims worth up to $US40 billion ($58 billion) that a judge described as an “existential threat” to multiple defendants’ survival.  The Wall Street giant is bracing for a landmark legal trial in the United States beginning in June over its use of the family of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl chemicals, known as PFAS. In Australia, the chemicals have contaminated at least 90 sites and officials have acknowledged PFAS has contaminated the blood of up to 98 per cent of the world’s population …  www.smh.com.au

RACE TO WATERPROOF YOUR OUTDOOR GEAR WITHOUT PFAS

Patagonia, like practically every other outdoor apparel company, has long relied on per- or polyfluorinated chemicals – PFAS for short – to make its products water-resistant. The problem is that these chemicals, also known as fluorochemicals, PFC chemicals or forever chemicals, are toxic. They’ve been linked to cancer and other health problems, and they don’t degrade easily: PFAS have been found in drinking water and in the human bloodstream. Despite years of warnings from scientists and environmental activists, many apparel retailers only recently started sussing out how to ditch PFAS in outdoor apparel and gear. But the stragglers may not be able to straggle much longer: Bans on the chemicals are coming …  www.irishexaminer.com