Perfluorinated Chemicals. Lena Vierke, Scientific Officer, German Environment Agency, Germany.

1. For our Environment
Concerns of PFASs and challenges in
regulatory risk management
Helsinki Chemicals Forum 2016
Lena Vierke, Claudia Staude, Annegret Biegel-Engler, Éva Fetter,
Christoph Schulte
Section IV 2.3 – Chemicals
German Environment Agency (UBA)

2. German Environment Agency - UBA
26.05.2016 2
Central
Division Z
Budget,
Organisation,
Human
Resources
Division II
Environmental
Health and
Protection of
Eco Systems
Division III
Sustainable
Production
and Products,
Waste
Management
Division IV
Chemical
Safety
Division E
German
Emissions
Trading
Authority
(DEHSt)
Division I
Environmental
Planning and
sustainable
Strategies
Mission
For our environment
Main Task
To ensure that citizens have
a healthy environment
President

3. Concerns of long-chain PFASs
 Environmental persistence
 Findings and distribution in surface water
 Long-range transport and findings in remote areas
 Findings and accumulation in food webs and top predators
 Findings in food and drinking water
 Occurrence in blood samples and breast milk of the general
population (and long elimination half life)
 Toxicological profile (e.g. PFOA Reprotoxic Cat. 1 B)
 Several ongoing activities to address these
concerns
 Shift to short-chain PFASs
3
e.g. Vierke L. et al. 2012 Environmental Sciences Europe 24:16.
Rudolf Lettner/Fotolia.com
Zauberhut/Fotolia.com
staphy/Fotolia.com
Tomasz Trojanowski/Fotolia.com
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4. Concerns of short-chain PFASs
4
 High mobility and accumulation in the
environment incl. contamination of drinking water
and ongoing “man via environment” exposure
Marc Rathmann
Environmental monitoring data show occurrence in
 several media e.g. Benskin J. et al. 2012 Environ.
Sci. Technol. 46: 5815-5823.
 remote regions e.g. Kirchgeorg et al. 2013 Environ.
Pollut. 178: 367-374.
 drinking water e.g. Gellrich V. et al. 2012
Chemosphere 87: 1052-1056.
In addition
 persistent
 potential endocrine disruptors e.g. Benninghoff, A.D. et al. 2011
Toxicol Sci 120: 42-58.
 enrichment in plants e.g. Blaine A.C. et al. 2014 Environ.
Sci. Technol. 48: 7858-7865
 difficult to be removed from
the environment
e.g. Eschauzier C. 2012 Environ.
Sci. Technol. 46:1708-1715.
Edyta Pawlowska/Fotolia.com
Eugeny Moskvitin/Fotolia.com
Darknightsky/Fotolia.com
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5. REACH: PFASs hazard assessment
5
Some long-chain PFASs
incl. PFOA
 Candidate List
 Reprotox 1B & PBT
 or vPvB
Some short-chain PFASs
incl. PFHxA
 Substance Evaluation
 Potential PBT
 Potential ED
 Wide dispersive use
 High mobility
Challenges
 Combination of hazard for the
environment and for human health
 Information from standardized tests
do not fully cover the properties of
concerns
 Weight of evidence needed
 Studies missing
 How to address mobility, especially
potential for drinking water
contamination
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6. Uses and sources of PFASs
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 Mainly precursors are used and
emitted, e.g. PFOA-related
substances
 Precursors degrade to
perfluoralkycarboxylic acids
 Various emission sources and
pathways
 Emissions can occur during every
life cycle step
 Global uses and emissions
 Global risk management measure to minimize
human and environmental exposure
(1) Jürgen Fälchle (2) Norman Chan, (3) industrieblick, (4) Stillfx, (5) Luisa Leal, (6) Kzeno, (7) demarco, (8) Tobilander Fotolia.com
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7. REACH: PFASs risk management
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PFOA, its salts and PFOA-related
substances
 Restriction proposal
PFHxA and related substances
 Risk Management Option
Analysis
Challenges
 Precursors have to be covered as
well
 Number and identity of precursors
unknown
 Substances have to be grouped
 Need to address several uses and
whole life-cycles
 Availability of alternatives and
identification of need for
derogations
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8. Conclusions – on a global scale
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 Properties of concern of PFASs are relevant on a global scale due to global
production, use and environmental distribution of these persistent substances
 global use und distribution need global management
 PFOS and its derivates are already listed under Stockholm Convention
 Proposal for listing PFOA and PFOA-related substances under Stockholm
Convention
 OECD/UNEP Global PFC Group
 Use of alternatives without properties of concern is needed worldwide
 Regulatory measures needed
 Companies to fulfill their responsibilities for protection of human health and the
environment by developing and using alternatives
 Collaborations between different stakeholders needed to share information on
uses, risks and costs (OECD/UNEP Global PFC Group)
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9. 27.05.2016 / Hier steht der Veranstaltungstitel in 12 Punkt 9
Thank you for your attention and
I am looking forward to our
discussion!
Dr. Lena Vierke
Lena.Vierke@uba.de
www.uba.de/themen/chemikalien/chemikalien-
reach/stoffgruppen/per-polyfluorierte-chemikalien-pfc
www.reach-info.de/pfc.htm