PFAS permitted to enter UK river

Abstract

The chemical maker AGC Chemicals Europe is discharging almost 800 kg of ammonium difluoro[1,1,2,2-tetrafluoro- 2-(pentafluoroethoxy)ethoxy]acetate (EEA-NH 4 ) annually into the UK’s Wyre River from its facility near Blackpool and is doing so legally, according to the UK’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The discharge was identified by the Guardian newspaper and journalists at Watershed Investigations. Some per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) like EEA-NH 4 are known to be persistent in the environment, can accumulate in the human body, and have the potential to be hazardous. UK legislation currently restricts the release of only a handful of specific PFAS—such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)—from among thousands of PFAS molecules. PFOA and PFOS have been largely phased out, and some chemical companies have replaced them with similar PFAS that are unregulated. EEA-NH 4 is an alternative to PFOA as a processing aid in fluoropolymer production.