750 experts discuss new PFAS research and strategies

International expert conference on poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances

Eine Pfanne liegt im SandClick to enlarge
Anti-stick coating on pans often contains PFAS.
Source: romingo.de - Romy Gessner

The two-day conference "PFAS - Dealing with contaminants of emerging concern" starts today. Experts from Europe and around the world will exchange views online on how to deal with environmental pollution caused by poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS). Because of their unique properties, these more than 5,000 substances are used in a wide variety of products such as outdoor clothing, cookware, dirt-repellent carpets and fire-fighting foams. The downside of the widespread use of PFAS is that the chemicals are resistant enough to accumulate in the environment and enter the food chain. PFAS are found in water, air and soil worldwide. They can also be found in human blood serum and may have health effects, particularly on the immune system. The EU and Germany are therefore pressing ahead with research on PFAS and the development of political strategies, legal requirements and remediation techniques. The event is taking place within the framework of Germany's EU Council Presidency.

Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said, "Poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances are a problem worldwide, including Europe. The European Commission has set a ban on PFAS as an important objective in its Chemicals Strategy. PFAS will no longer be released into the environment in the EU in the future. Currently, the German chemicals authorities are preparing to ban all non-essential PFAS together with their European partners. Germany is moving forward together with Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. To close the knowledge gaps on PFAS we need more research and increased coordination of research activities across Europe."

President Prof. Dirk Messner of the German Environment Agency said, "There is nothing new about the worries raised by PFAS, but so far we only know the tip of the iceberg. While the two best-known PFAS compounds PFOS and PFOA are well researched and internationally regulated, this is not the case for most of the other approximately 5,000 PFAS. The German Environment Agency is therefore playing a major role in efforts to restrict the production and use of PFAS as a whole group of substances throughout Europe. We should only allow the absolutely necessary uses until a substitute is also found for them." UBA conducts research, including in European networks, to gain new knowledge about the substance group and to derive measures to protect human health and ecosystems. This includes monitoring PFAS levels in humans and the environment. "The complexity of this group of pollutants requires a comprehensive expansion of research activities", said Messner. The German Environment Agency recently published a special publication on PFAS which provides comprehensive information on the state of knowledge.

The online conference "PFAS - Dealing with contaminants of emerging concern" focuses on current developments and new scientific findings. Political decision-makers and high-ranking researchers from 19 European countries as well as North America, Australia and Asia will participate in the expert discussions. Keynote speaker of the international conference is the US American chemist, author and environmental activist Arlene Blum. Blum is the founder of the Green Science Policy Institute, whose scientific studies and policy activities have helped ban the use of some harmful chemicals in everyday products. In addition to reports on current regulations and activities at EU level, the conference will focus on presentations from Europe and Australia, which will present their strategies and measures for dealing with PFAS soil and groundwater contamination. Remediation concepts and techniques will also be presented as well as the "Remediation management for local and wide-spread PFAS contaminations" guidelines recently published by UBA. Two panel discussions are intended to stimulate cross-stakeholder dialogue among the participants and clarify their points of view. They will shed light on the positions and expectations of the participants, the policy approach to "new" pollutant groups and the consequences that can be derived from the experience gained with the PFAS Group for future pollutants.

New PFAS contaminations in soil and groundwater are routinely detected and a growing number of study results show that PFAS, which are used in a wide range of everyday products due to their special water and soil-repellent properties, pose a serious threat to the environment. Soil and water contaminated with PFAS pose a risk to human health because they can migrate into drinking water and food. Two years ago, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) therefore drastically lowered the threshold for the Tolerable Weekly Intake (TWI) of the major PFAS by a factor of a thousand. The threshold has recently been further reduced.

At European level, the Council and Parliament are also pushing for further regulatory activities on PFAS. In October 2020, the European Commission presented a comprehensive package of measures to regulate PFAS in its Chemicals Strategy. Among the key initiatives of the strategy is the phasing out of persistent substances such as poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances.

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