How to identify PFAS in your products

PFAS, or ‘perpetual chemicals’, can be found in a wide range of products, including waxes used on cross-country skis to improve glide, textile impregnation to resist water and dirt, bicycle oil to provide low friction, muffin tins, electronic products and frying pans.  

In 2023, Sweden, along with four other European countries, proposed a ban on the entire group of PFASs in the EU. This was based on studies which showed that PFASs cannot be broken down and can be linked to negative health effects. The issue of perpetual chemicals is also being discussed outside Europe, including in the United States.

"A lot is happening on the regulatory front right now. The broader EU proposal to regulate PFAS broadly and as a group aims to remove these substances from as many uses as possible. As a result of this development, more and more companies are becoming interested in finding out whether PFASs are present in their products, why and whether they are really needed." This is according to Lisa Skedung, researcher at RISE and project manager for POPFREE, a series of innovation projects promoting PFAS-free alternatives.

Two new analytical methods

PFAS is a large group of chemicals that includes over 10,000 industrially produced substances. It is not uncommon for these persistent chemicals to be added somewhere along a long value chain, without the knowledge of the companies placing the product on the European market. Testing for the presence of PFAS in products is therefore important. Traditional PFAS analysis can identify a number of specific substances, but it does not capture all of them, including what are known as polymeric PFAS.

"We realised that new analytical methods are needed to screen PFASs broadly and to capture polymeric PFASs that are often used to provide a function in products. "The usual analytical methods are great for finding the PFAS substances that are regulated today, but they don't catch the polymers," clarifies Lisa Skedung.

New methods catch hard-to-detect PFAS substances

A number of different methods were tested, and in the end the POPFREE team came up with two. These new methods will help companies find PFAS substances that were previously difficult to detect. The first analytical method provides the total fluorine content, which can be compared to the limit in the EU proposal.

The second method allows us to verify that there are indeed PFAS in the sample. On occasion, the first analysis shows a high concentration of total fluorine, but the verification method shows that it is inorganic fluorine that is not PFAS.

"Does not fit well with sustainability" 

It is crucial for the company that commissioned the assignment to understand what RISE has done and what the analyses show. This enables them to use the data internally and in communication with suppliers. If the analyses show that a particular product contains PFAS substances, RISE can guide the company further, for example to projects where PFAS-free alternatives are tested. RISE can also provide guidance prior to the analysis on which components in a product should be tested.  

"Many companies are seeking to anticipate the stricter legislation. This is because selling products that contain PFAS is not consistent with a sustainability profile. Companies that wait until the regulation comes into force to look for alternatives may encounter difficulties, as it may take time to replace the PFAS substances in products," says Lisa Skedung.