Germany Proposes EU Restriction on PFCAs

The conclusion of the dossier submitter’s risk assessment is that, despite that no intentional uses were identified so far, a restriction on a Union-wide basis is justified to reduce the release of these substances into the environment and to prevent any future manufacturing, placing on the market and use,” the filing said. “This EU-wide measure may be the first step for global action.”
 

What are PFCAs?

PFCAs (Perfluorocarboxylic acids) and PFASs (Polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of man-made chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s. PFCAs are fire, heat, oil, grease, and water resistant and can be found in such consumer products as outdoor textiles, leather goods, baking papers, waterproofing agents and ski waxes.

Making and using these chemicals in consumer products has greatly decreased during the last 10 years, but people can still be exposed to them because they are still present in the environment. Scientists have studied how these chemicals affect the health of animals but they are still trying to understand how exposure to them affect humans.

Some PFASs are precursors to PFCAs and can break down to those chemicals in the body or the environment. Long-chain PFCAs and PFASs don’t break down easily in the environment. They are also bioaccumulate, or build up, in the blood and organs of exposed humans and animals and remain there for extended periods of time, which is why concern over their use has been growing for the past decade.

View the submitted restriction proposal on the ECHA site here