The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has presented an interim review of its PFAS measures. In addition to drinking water, contaminated sites and industrial emissions, applications in everyday products such as food packaging are increasingly becoming the focus of regulatory and analytical activities.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been used for decades to make materials heat-, grease- and water-repellent. This also includes coated paper and cardboard packaging for food. Due to their high persistence and potential health risks in the event of long-term exposure, persistent compounds such as PFOA and PFOS in particular are under regulatory pressure.
Stricter regulation and more transparency
The EPA reaffirmed the classification of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances under the Superfund law CERCLA. This means that production and processing sites can also be held liable if environmental contamination occurs. In addition, science-based limits have been further developed as part of drinking water regulation.
According to the authority, changes to the reporting obligations under the Toxic Substances Control Act are intended to improve data collection on production, use and exposure and at the same time reduce duplicate reporting obligations. For manufacturers and processors of packaging materials, this means potentially more precise recording of PFAS applications along the supply chain.
Expansion of analytics along the value chain
At the same time, the authority is investing in new test methods: a newly developed analytical method enables the detection of 40 PFAS compounds in various environmental matrices, including water, soil, sewage sludge and fish tissue. The EPA is also working on methods for measuring PFAS emissions into the air.
For the packaging industry, the question of the extent to which PFAS from coatings can end up in recycling streams, waste water or soil is therefore becoming increasingly important. According to the authority, it relies on both targeted test methods for known substances and non-targeted analyses to identify previously unknown PFAS.
The EPA has announced that guidelines on the destruction and disposal of PFAS will be updated annually in future. This also applies to waste from production processes and packaging waste potentially containing PFAS. According to the authority, coordination between research, regulation and enforcement is to be further strengthened in order to address risks along the entire value chain.
Source: EPO
