PFAS-coated clothes that are thrown away will often end up either incinerated or in landfill. Unless incinerated at very high temperatures (>1000oC), fluorinated polymers could release more harmful PFAS during burning. PFAS of environmental concern have also been found in landfill leachate. PFAS is found in treated waste water from industrial and domestic sources and has been found in both rivers and groundwater. Conventional drinking water processes will not remove PFAS.Small quantities of PFAS will be removed during wash and wear of products containing PFAS. This includes fluorinated polymers used on stain-resistant coatings, and non-polymers that remain on clothes after production (Lassen et al. 2015).Non-polymer PFAS can build up in blood protein of animals, and is not always removed quickly. This means that predators eating PFAS-contaminated food will have higher levels in their bloodstream, and concentrations can increase up the food chain. Studies suggest that build up of PFAS is similar to those of other Persistent Organic Pollutants such as DDT.PFAS are estimated to be settling in arctic regions at rates of tens to hundreds of kilograms per year (25-850kg per year), depending on the specific PFAS chemical in question. Certain PFAS are released as gases to the environment and are blown a long way by wind and air currents in the atmosphere,. These gas PFAS will over time degrade to more persistent chemicals like PFOS and PFOA. This may be one reason why PFAS of environmental concern have been found in remote regions such as the Arctic as well as near PFAS production sitesPFAS including PFOS and PFOA have been found in air samples around Europe. The chemicals are found in small quantities, but appear in almost all samples tested. PFAS enters the atmosphere both from factories and the air inside our homes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17554424 Non-polymer PFAS are used in the production of fluorinated polymers. The manufacture of stain-resistant finishes generally releases these PFASs into the environment, both by air and water emissions. They are very hard to remove during water treatment. Workers in textiles factories are some of the population most exposed to these potentially harmful chemicals.

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Latest News Blogs

30 October 2018

Do you need a receipt? Why we should ditch tickets for the sake of our environment

Fidra invites you to stick it to the ticket, save resources and avoid harmful chemicals.

Author
Heather McFarlane

22 October 2018

UK Government launches consultation on banning the sale and distribution of plastic-stemmed cotton buds in England

Fidra, the environmental charity behind the Cotton Bud Project welcomes the UK Government’s consultation and supports ban on distribution and sale of plastic-stemmed cotton buds

Author
Heather McFarlane

27 September 2018

Tackling takeaway packaging: Beyond the plastic problem

Local businesses cut single-use packaging and go compostable.

Author
Catherine Amis

13 August 2018

How Fidra’s Cotton Bud Project helped solve a single-use plastic problem

What can we learn from the successes of Fidra’s Cotton Bud Project?

Author
Master Fidra

3 August 2018

Scrubbing out PFAS stain resistance on school wear

Fidra’s PFAS Free Uniforms project finds stain resistance could be leaving a lasting mark on the environment.

Author
Heather McFarlane