Information Requirements under the Essential-Use Concept: PFAS Case Studies
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Information Requirements under the Essential-Use Concept : PFAS Case Studies. / Glüge, Juliane; London, Rachel; Cousins, Ian T.; Dewitt, Jamie; Goldenman, Gretta; Herzke, Dorte; Lohmann, Rainer; Miller, Mark; Ng, Carla A.; Patton, Sharyle; Trier, Xenia; Wang, Zhanyun; Scheringer, Martin.
In: Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 56, No. 10, 2022, p. 6232-6242.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Information Requirements under the Essential-Use Concept
T2 - PFAS Case Studies
AU - Glüge, Juliane
AU - London, Rachel
AU - Cousins, Ian T.
AU - Dewitt, Jamie
AU - Goldenman, Gretta
AU - Herzke, Dorte
AU - Lohmann, Rainer
AU - Miller, Mark
AU - Ng, Carla A.
AU - Patton, Sharyle
AU - Trier, Xenia
AU - Wang, Zhanyun
AU - Scheringer, Martin
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of substances for which there are widespread concerns about their extreme persistence in combination with toxic effects. It has been argued that PFAS should only be employed in those uses that are necessary for health or safety or are critical for the functioning of society and where no alternatives are available ("essential-use concept"). Implementing the essential-use concept requires a sufficient understanding of the current uses of PFAS and of the availability, suitability, and hazardous properties of alternatives. To illustrate the information requirements under the essential-use concept, we investigate seven different PFAS uses, three in consumer products and four industrial applications. We investigate how much information is available on the types and functions of PFAS in these uses, how much information is available on alternatives, their performance and hazardous properties and, finally, whether this information is sufficient as a basis for deciding on the essentiality of a PFAS use. The results show (i) the uses of PFAS are highly diverse and information on alternatives is often limited or lacking; (ii) PFAS in consumer products often are relatively easy to replace; (iii) PFAS uses in industrial processes can be highly complex and a thorough evaluation of the technical function of each PFAS and of the suitability of alternatives is needed; (iv) more coordination among PFAS manufacturers, manufacturers of alternatives to PFAS, users of these materials, government authorities, and other stakeholders is needed to make the process of phasing out PFAS more transparent and coherent.
AB - Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of substances for which there are widespread concerns about their extreme persistence in combination with toxic effects. It has been argued that PFAS should only be employed in those uses that are necessary for health or safety or are critical for the functioning of society and where no alternatives are available ("essential-use concept"). Implementing the essential-use concept requires a sufficient understanding of the current uses of PFAS and of the availability, suitability, and hazardous properties of alternatives. To illustrate the information requirements under the essential-use concept, we investigate seven different PFAS uses, three in consumer products and four industrial applications. We investigate how much information is available on the types and functions of PFAS in these uses, how much information is available on alternatives, their performance and hazardous properties and, finally, whether this information is sufficient as a basis for deciding on the essentiality of a PFAS use. The results show (i) the uses of PFAS are highly diverse and information on alternatives is often limited or lacking; (ii) PFAS in consumer products often are relatively easy to replace; (iii) PFAS uses in industrial processes can be highly complex and a thorough evaluation of the technical function of each PFAS and of the suitability of alternatives is needed; (iv) more coordination among PFAS manufacturers, manufacturers of alternatives to PFAS, users of these materials, government authorities, and other stakeholders is needed to make the process of phasing out PFAS more transparent and coherent.
KW - carpet
KW - chrome plating
KW - essential use
KW - fluoropolymer
KW - PFAS
U2 - 10.1021/acs.est.1c03732
DO - 10.1021/acs.est.1c03732
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 34608797
AN - SCOPUS:85117595073
VL - 56
SP - 6232
EP - 6242
JO - Environmental Science & Technology
JF - Environmental Science & Technology
SN - 0013-936X
IS - 10
ER -
ID: 333776992