The Forever Lobbying Project has estimated cleaning up PFAS contamination in Europe will cost $2trn over 20 years, or $100bn annually.
Manufactured by a handful of companies, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) is a family of over 10,000 man-made chemicals. Almost indestructible without human intervention and persistent in living organisms, humans included, PFAS have been linked to illnesses.
In February 2023, five European countries proposed a PFAS universal restriction under the EU chemical regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). The ban would include the entire PFAS chemical ‘universe’, with some derogations until alternatives are developed; their pervasive nature means traces have been found in every corner of the globe, from Arctic sheets to Mount Everest.
Last September, the EU adopted new measures, restricting the use of undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and PFHxA‑related substances – though it does not affect certain applications, for example semiconductors, batteries or fuel cells for green hydrogen.
In November, a group of 59 UK and international scientific experts wrote to the UK Government calling for tighter PFAS regulation and calling on the government to develop ‘PFAS alternative suppliers’.
Lobby groups claim regulating just a few hundred PFAS will not tackle the scale of pollution from these chemicals, but many are vital to industrial, medical, food and special gases, and clean technology development – at a time when governments are under increasing pressure to meet Net Zero targets.
The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) supports balanced regulatory measures on PFAS but is concerned new restrictions will lead to disrupted value chains and eliminate key applications in batteries, semi-conductors, electric vehicles and renewable energy production. “Manufacturers will not invest in the EU if they know they will miss key components in their value chains in the near future,” it states.
EIGA said it is clear that use of PFAS in industrial settings (coating, gaskets, valves, membranes) are not sufficiently covered but alternatives to PFAS ‘are not always possible’.
It has called on the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Commission to consider an exemption for fluoropolymers – used in the industry as they are resistant to chemicals and solvents and can withstand high temperatures – from the universal PFAS restriction, maintaining they are safe and do not pose health risks ‘when used for their intended purposes’. They are not currently banned under REACH. Fluropolymers are not dangerous in use, per se, but the issues are mainly during their manufacture and end-of-life.
However, according to research published by the National Library of Medicine, given fluoropolymers’ persistence, emissions associated with their production, use, and disposal, and high likelihood for human exposure to PFAS, ‘their production and uses should be curtailed except in cases of essential use’.
Amelia Womack, Senior EU Campaigner at CHEM Trust, said the chemical industry’s lobbying ‘to delay, dilute, and derail stronger EU chemicals regulation, including the universal PFAS restriction, highlights their unwillingness to take responsibility for the harm their products inflict on human health and the environment’.
“Europe stands at a crossroads: it can either bow to pressure from vested interests or embrace bold action to protect future generations,” she said. “Safer, innovative alternatives already exist or are in development, but they require robust, decisive legislation to level the playing field and drive the transition. The EU must resist lobbying that prioritises short-term profit over public health, and instead lead the way toward a healthier, more sustainable future for all.”
Doug Thornton, President of the Gas Valves and Regulators Association – which was formed last May – cited three areas where the gas sector has no satisfactory PFAS-free solutions. They are the development of the hydrogen and electrolyser economy; administering medical oxygen to patients; and making pure oxygen in an ASU. “Even if we win an exemption for these cases, that won’t help if PFAS manufacturers have already closed down their production, which is already happening,” he said.
To meet requirements, especially at high pressure, lubricants based on PFAS, such as per-fluorinated polyether oils (PFPE), are used. High-performance PFAS lubricants are designed for extended lifetime or even for-life lubrication.
They are helping companies to prolong the lifetime of their own technical products as well as their production equipment, as such they contribute to the sustainability ambitions set out in the EU Green Deal.
These high price lubricants are only used when there is no technological alternative or need to assure high safety standards (avoidance of explosion risks and health safety). Therefore, the used amounts are kept in general as low as possible.
