What is PFAS? About the PFAS ban

PFAS är en grupp syntetiska kemikalier som har använts i en mängd olika industriella och konsumentprodukter sedan 1940-talet. "PFAS" står för per- och polyfluorerade alkyler.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large family of synthetic materials used in a wide range of areas. What they all have in common is that they have what is called a polar covalent bond between carbon and fluorine atoms. It is one of the strongest single bonds found in chemistry.

Because of this strong bond, PFAS have extremely high chemical resistance. The fact that the bond cannot be attacked by acids, alkalis, and solvents has made the substances very useful, but when they over time end up in places other than those originally intended, it becomes a problem: PFAS do not break down and remain in nature.

 

History and use

The large group of substances known as PFAS has been in use since the 1950s and has countless uses, both in industry and in products found in all our homes. The substances have often been added to be grease- or water-repellent, sealing, or reinforcing. Some products that often contain PFAS are

• textiles such as clothing, umbrellas and rugs
• Sun cream, moisturiser and makeup
• Household products such as paint, cleaning agents and non-stick frying pans
• paper and cardboard food packaging
• Firefighting foam.

 

Useful but dangerous: How do PFAS affect the body?

There is evidence that a few PFAS substances are harmful to health. For example, PFNA, PFOS, and PFOA have been classified as reproductive toxicants and suspected carcinogens. For the vast majority of PFAS substances, there are no studies showing risks, but the entire group should be considered harmful to health.

Animal studies have shown that different PFAS substances can have harmful effects on the immune system and reproduction, but also on thyroid hormones, the liver, and blood lipids. Individual substances can also cause tumours.

The clearest indications of how PFAS substances are dangerous to humans come from areas where the water has been locally contaminated by PFAS. The effects there have been a weakened immune system, impacts on the liver, poorer cholesterol levels, and lower birth weight in newborns.

 

Sustainable but unsustainable: How do PFAS affect the environment?

Of the thousands of different substances belonging to the PFAS group, very different – if any – effects on the environment are, of course, had. All types of PFAS spread easily in air and water, and because they are extremely persistent, they remain for a very long time. Products containing PFAS can release small amounts throughout their lifetime and use, and will of course continue to do so even after the product has become waste.

 

Ban on PFAS?

PFAS are not currently banned, but because certain PFAS have been shown to be dangerous or harmful, and because PFAS do not break down in nature, the production and use of the substances are regulated. There are international regulations, EU regulations and national-level regulations.

In February 2023, the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate, along with authorities from four other countries, presented a suggestion that all manufacture and sale of PFAS should be banned in the EU. The hope is that the proposal will be adopted in 2025 and then gradually implemented in the years that follow.

Alongside the work in the EU, the rules are also becoming stricter in the US, where individual states are progressing at slightly different paces with restrictions. In China, there don't appear to be any restrictions on the entire PFAS group forthcoming, but rather regulations on the subclasses PFOS and PFOA.

 

Would You Like to Know More?

If you want to know more about Carlsson & Möller's environmental work or how we work to phase out PFAS, you are always welcome to contact us Then we'd be happy to tell you more.