Per- and polyfluorinated chemicals
EU plans PFAS ban

PFAS ban

Unfortunately, the matter is rather confusing, as PFOS and PFOA have previously been referred to as PFAS, i.e., short chains of fluorinated compounds. In February 2023, a proposal was submitted to the ECHA to restrict all PFAS, i.e., fluorinated compounds in which the carbon atoms have two or three bonds with fluorine.

So far, the restrictions apply to the substances PFOA, PFOS, and PFHxA.

All polymers with an “F” in their nomenclature are PFAS. This applies to FFKM, FKM, FEP, PFA, FEPM, PTFE, FVMQ, etc., but there are currently no restrictions on their use, only an open dossier.

Whether it will be possible to comply with a possible new PFAS regulation depends on what it will contain (nothing has been decided yet).

PTFE, FKM, and FFKM, as well as all other fluorinated polymers, are defined as PFAS according to the proposal by the ECHA (European Chemicals Agency).

 

The ECHA consultation phase will run until mid-September 2023. A decision on a possible ban is not expected until fall 2024 at the earliest. This would be followed by a transition period of at least 18 months.
However, the industry is currently making considerable efforts to avert this ban.

We consider it proven that fluoropolymers are non-toxic. Nevertheless, we are working hard to find alternatives. However, for many applications, especially those involving highly aggressive chemicals or high process temperatures, we currently see no economically viable alternative.


Read more about this here:
Article from the KGK magazine
and
VDMA position paper