Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): sources ...

1 Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): sources , pathways and environmental data Chief Scientist s Group report August 2021 2 of 110 We are the Environment Agency. We protect and improve the environment. We help people and wildlife adapt to climate change and reduce its impacts, including flooding, drought, sea level rise and coastal erosion. We improve the quality of our water, land and air by tackling pollution. We work with businesses to help them comply with environmental regulations. A healthy and diverse environment enhances people's lives and contributes to economic growth. We can t do this alone. We work as part of the Defra group (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs), with the rest of government, local councils, businesses, civil society groups and local communities to create a better place for people and wildlife.

2 Published by: Environment Agency Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol BS1 5AH Environment Agency 2021 All rights reserved. This document may be reproduced with prior permission of the Environment Agency. Further copies of this report are available from our publications catalogue: or our National Customer Contact Centre: 03708 506 506 Email: Author: Emma Pemberton Environment Agency s Project Manager: Mark Sinton Citation: Environment Agency (2021) Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): sources , pathways and environmental data. Environment Agency, Bri Research at the Environment Agency Scientific research and analysis underpins everything the Environment Agency does.

3 It helps us to understand and manage the environment effectively. Our own experts work with leading scientific organisations, universities and other parts of the Defra group to bring the best knowledge to bear on the environmental problems that we face now and in the future. Our scientific work is published as summaries and reports, freely available to all. This report is the result of research commissioned by the Environment Agency s Chief Scientist s Group. You can find out more about our current science programmes at If you have any comments or questions about this report or the Environment Agency s other scientific work, please contact Professor Doug Wilson Chief Scientist 4 Contents Executive Summary.

4 5 Introduction .. 8 Uses and sources of 13 Uses of PFAS .. 13 PFAS regulated under REACH .. 14 UK REACH Registrants .. 16 PFAS regulated under other legislation .. 17 Sector-specific information .. 18 sources and pathways .. 21 PFAS source and risk evaluation at UK sites .. 24 Monitoring data .. 25 Water monitoring .. 26 Biota monitoring .. 39 Water body classifications .. 42 PFAS in otters .. 43 PFAS in estuarine sediments .. 45 Atmospheric levels .. 45 PFAS in soil .. 45 Trends in environmental levels of PFAS .. 46 Planned environmental monitoring for PFAS 2021 and beyond .. 47 A future monitoring strategy for PFAS.

5 48 Determining which PFAS are present .. 48 Conclusions .. 54 Appendix 1: Definition of PFAS and overview of types of 57 Definitions of PFAS .. 57 Non-polymeric PFAS .. 57 Polymeric PFAS .. 57 Appendix 2: PFAS registrations under the REACH Regulation .. 59 Appendix 3: substances included in Environment Agency analytical scan methodology (2014 - 2019; water samples) .. 91 Appendix 4: List of PFAS substances in targeted PFAS analysis 2021 onwards .. 92 Appendix 5: Major Product Categories and Applications for perfluorooctyl sulfonates .. 95 References .. 96 Relevant Legislation .. 104 List of abbreviations .. 105 Glossary .. 108 5 Executive Summary Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of synthetic organofluorine chemicals that have been widely used since the 1940s.

6 By definition, all PFAS have at least one fully fluorinated methyl ( CF3) or methylene ( CF2 ) group. The carbon-fluorine bond (C F) is very strong. Consequently PFAS can resist chemical attack and withstand high temperatures and are sometimes referred to as forever chemicals . PFAS have oil and water repellent properties, having been developed for use as surfactants and stain repellents. They have a very wide range of consumer and industrial applications including use in aqueous film forming foams and as fire suppressants, metal finishing and plating, hydraulic fluids, fluoropolymer production, paper products and packaging, semiconductor manufacturing, and textiles and leather including carpets and furniture.

7 With such a wide range of uses, PFAS can readily enter the environment during manufacture or formulation, use of the substances themselves or products containing them and through disposal. Their stability and resistance to degradation results in almost indefinite environmental contamination, leading to long-term continuous exposure of people and wildlife. Even if sources of PFAS to the environment are stopped, environmental concentrations will decline very slowly. The long history of use of some PFAS means that there is a legacy of environmental contamination that is challenging to remediate. Approximately 100 individual PFAS are potentially supplied to the UK in amounts of 1 tonne per year or more, based on European information.

8 We have limited knowledge about their use, the quantities actually on the UK market or their presence in imported goods. There are gaps in our understanding of the potential for release during their life cycle (for example, leaching of residual amounts of PFAS additives and processing aids from polymer products), including recycling and waste disposal. The evaluation of sources and pathways of PFAS exposure for risk management is complicated by the large number of individual substances and their widespread use over many decades. Few PFAS have been subject to extensive testing so information about their hazardous properties is also sparse. Our knowledge of environmental fate, behaviour and impacts is based largely on data for a limited number of substances , predominantly perfluoroalkylated acids (PFAAs) that have been subject to risk assessment under regulatory regimes.

9 Some PFAAs can accumulate in the food chain and others are very mobile in soil and water, travelling a long way from their origin and gradually accumulating in groundwater. In human epidemiological studies some PFAS have been reported to be associated with a range of human health effects, such as increased cholesterol levels, reduced immune response and reproductive effects. The combination of persistence, bioaccumulation, toxicity and potential for long-range transport of a handful of PFAAs have led to the restriction of these substances and their 6 derivatives at both European and global levels under the REACH Regulation and the United Nations Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

10 To begin to address the knowledge gaps we have used available data and information to build a picture of the use of PFAS in the UK, sources and pathways to the environment and the extent of environmental presence in English waters. Working with the 2 major UK-based manufacturing companies, we are evaluating the hazard and risk of 12 individual PFAS used or produced at these sites. We are also evaluating an additional substance that could be used as an alternative to a specific PFAS that is already restricted. The completed evaluations will be used to identify the need for any further monitoring investigations or other regulatory activities. Despite undertaking UK-based trade-sector surveys, there remains a significant evidence gap regarding current use of PFAS across several trade sectors, including cosmetics, textiles and food packaging in the UK.