Key Points/Overview
All PFAS chemistries are not the same. They have a wide variety of properties, uses and health and safety profiles.
PFAS provides strength, durability, stability and resilience to products used in the automotive, aerospace electronics and medical industries.
PFAS products in use today have had their safety confirmed by regulators including the EPA.
Uses & Benefits
When fluorine atoms bond with carbon atoms, they create a highly stable chemical. This stability is what gives perfluorinated chemicals their distinct properties, providing strength, resilience and durability to a variety of products.
Perfluorinated chemicals have a long history of delivering outstanding performance in a wide variety of challenging applications.
Key Uses of Fluoropolymers
- Automotive: Gaskets, rings, valves and hoses in the fuel system; wiring and circuit boards; pull cables; shock absorbers and bushings; electric vehicle batteries
- Aerospace (military and civilian): High performance navigation and communication antennae; lubricants for wing flap mechanisms and landing gear; fuel-oxygen separation systems
- Electronics: Ultra-low contamination semiconductor manufacturing; wafer etching; chemical piping and storage
- Medical/First Responder: Surgically implanted medical devices (e.g. stents); COVID testing equipment and respirator tubing; catheters and guide wires
Key Examples of C6 Fluorotelomer Products
- Woven medical textiles
- High-performance air and liquid filtration and separation media
- Nonwoven membranes for water filtration
- Outdoor technical textile applications
- Semiconductor production
- Durable Adhesives, sealants and caulks
- Long-lasting Paints and coatings
- fluorinated firefighting foams
Safety Information
All PFAS chemistries are not the same. They have a wide variety of properties, uses and health and safety profiles. In the United States, Europe and Japan, manufacturers have phased out the use of PFOA, PFOS and related long-chain chemistries.
PFAS products in use today have had their safety confirmed by regulators, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), based on a robust body of scientific data. Similar conclusions have been reached by multiple regulatory bodies globally.
Fluoropolymers are large, stable, inert polymeric molecules. Fluoropolymers have well-established safety profiles and meet criteria used by chemical regulatory experts around the world to identify polymers of low concern for potential risk to human health or the environment. .
Polymeric, high molecular weight fluoropolymers are too large to cross biological membranes and therefore present little potential for human or environmental exposure. Fluoropolymers are not water soluble and as a result are not found in sources of drinking water. Importantly, fluoropolymers cannot transform to legacy PFAS, like PFOA and PFOS, in the environment.
C6 fluorotelomer-based products have been thoroughly reviewed by regulators prior to introduction into commerce, are subject to ongoing review and are supported by a robust body of rigorous scientific health and safety data.
This assessment has also included review of potential breakdown (degradation) products. As reflected in the published scientific literature, studies have found that one of the primary potential breakdown products, perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA or C6 acid), does not cause cancer (NTP 2018; Klaunig et al. 2015; Loveless et al. 2009); does not disrupt endocrine (hormone) activity (Borghoff et al. 2018); does not cause reproductive or developmental harm (Loveless et al. 2009; Iwai et al. 2019, Iwai and Hoberman 2014); does not build up in the human body and does not become concentrated in the bodies of living organisms (Chengelis et al. 2009b; Iwai and Hoberman 2014; Russell et al. 2013, 2015; Nilsson et al. 2010, 2013; Fujii et al. 2015; Guruge et al. 2016; Gannon et al. 2011, 2016).
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Video: PFAS: Making Modern Life Possible
PFAS are a diverse universe of chemistries that are essential to modern life. They provide products with strength, durability, stability, and resilience.
Understanding Risk and Hazard When it Comes to Chemicals
Every day, people are exposed to a variety of activities or products that could, under certain circumstances, cause harm. There’s a potential for harm or injury in nearly every activity we engage in – whether it’s when we cross a street, ride in an automobile, or play in a baseball game.
