Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances such as PFOS and PFOA have because of persistence and ecotoxicity been restricted under the Stockholm convention or added to the candidate list under the REACH regulation. Fluorinated substances have important technical uses in consumer products for example in textiles where they are used for oil and water repellent properties. Lately, more short chained molecules are used for which the persistence and ecotoxicity is largely unknown. The project will test the hypothesis that emissions of persistent fluorochemicals are generated as diffuse emissions and that textiles are an important source to these emissions. It will examine properties of fluorinated substances and prioritize substances and products for diffuse emissions. The results will be generalized to a methodology for practical substitution by prioritization of substances and products with the aim to identify sources as well as testing of alternatives both from an ecotoxicological as well as from a technical functional view. A unique consortium of universities, research institutes, industry and other stakeholders has been established that has an extensive knowledge of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, technical expertise in processes and products, ecotoxicological analysis, chemistry, toxicology, product demands and socio-economical demands. The research consortium will generate the results that are necessary to find sustainable alternatives for water- and dirt repellent textiles.
Fluorochemicals (PFAS) are extensively used for their water- and stain repellency. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
