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.

Skip to navigation
Skip to content

Environmental charity supporting sustainability & preventing pollution

PFAS Active Substances in UK Pesticides

PFAS Active Substances in UK Pesticides

This report investigates the use of PFAS as an active pesticide substance in the UK, with particular focus on the UK arable sector. Pesticide active substances present a direct route for PFAS into the environment, threatening soil health and productivity. PFAS are known to alter soil microbial communities and reduce the biodiversity and connectivity of soil bacteria, all of which can impact crop yields.

Key findings:

PFAS pesticides are used across all agricultural crop sectors in the UK.
In 2022, PFAS pesticides were sprayed on the equivalent of more than 10.6 million hectares of arable crops.
PFAS pesticides represented 16% of the most used pesticides within the arable sector in 2022.
Six PFAS pesticides that were included on the arable sectors most used pesticides list have significantly increased in use between 2020 and 2022.

Published, July 2024

Language: English

Attached Files

File	Action
PFAS Active Substances in UK Pesticides.pdf	Download

Version
Download 315
File Size 177 KB
File Count 1
Create Date 3rd July 2024
Last Updated 17th July 2024