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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Environmental charity supporting sustainability & preventing pollution

UK Bisphenols Briefing 2022

Despite being linked to numerous health and environmental impacts, bisphenols are still used unnecessarily in UK paper tickets and receipts. Fidra is asking the UK Government to introduce legislation banning all bisphenols from use in thermal paper by 2023 to improve health and environmental protection against chemical exposure, and to enable safe and effective product recycling.

Key Points:

Bisphenols are a group of widely used industrial chemicals, often found in thermal papers such as receipts, tickets and labels.
Bisphenols have been linked to numerous health and environmental impacts, including fertility issues, cancers, and obesity in humans, and reduced reproductive success in wildlife.
Bisphenols in thermal papers can contaminate recycling streams, undermining the safety and effectiveness of the circular economy.
Bisphenol-A was banned in January 2020 from UK till-receipts based on the risk to human health. In many cases, this has led to regrettable substitution to alternative bisphenols with similar
health and environmental impacts.
EU member states are already taking action on bisphenols, with Germany proposing a ban across the full chemical group.
Leading UK retailers support Fidra’s call for a group-based restriction, banning the use of all bisphenols in thermal papers

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Language: English

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Create Date 26th July 2022
Last Updated 7th February 2023