The PFAS, the English acronym for "perfluorinated alkylated substances", were born in the 1940s as so-called "synthetic" chemical compounds. Today we count over 4,000 substances belonging to this family, widely used in industry. These are substances resistant to major natural degradation processes thanks to the presence of very strong bonds between fluorine and carbon atoms.
The PFAS), are now found everywhere: from non-stick cookware, to waterproof clothing and shoes, to some food packaging, pesticides and tap water.
The industrial processes in which PFAS are involved are many thanks to their resistance and their poor affinity with both water and fats. In fact, they are water-repellent and oil-repellent substances.
A study on PFAS entitled: "An overview of potential alternatives for the multiple uses of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances" by Romain Figuiere, Luc Miaz, Eleni Savvidou and Ian Cousins has been published.
The study develops an online database that documents all known uses of PFAS, describes the functions provided by PFAS in these uses, lists potential alternatives that may provide equivalent or similar functions to PFAS, and evaluates the suitability of the identified alternatives to replace PFAS.
Overall, the database lists 325 different applications of PFAS across 18 use categories. In total, 530 PFAS-free alternatives are identified. Based on a screening of the potential concerns of the identified alternatives, their performance relative to PFAS and their availability on the market, it is concluded that potentially suitable alternatives to PFAS are available for 40 different applications. For 83 applications, no alternatives were identified at the time of the study and should be the focus of further research.
Alternative restriction options are also being considered, in addition to a total ban or a ban with time-limited exemptions.
An alternative option could, for example, include conditions that allow PFAS to continue to be produced, placed on the market or used instead of a ban.
The above consideration is particularly important for uses and sectors where there is evidence that a ban could lead to disproportionate socio-economic impacts.