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

31st October 2023

New Green Science Policy Map: Wildlife Polluted by Flame Retardants on Massive Scale

Our American collaborators at the Green Science Policy Institute have recently published a new interactive map highlighting the shocking chemical flame-retardant exposure and associated health effects for wildlife across the world.

Visit the map and zoom around the globe to see the dots on every continent, representing more than 150 species of wild animals contaminated with these harmful chemicals. They include numerous endangered species such as chimpanzees and red pandas, as well as orcas (killer whales) and North Berwick’s beloved gannets.

This timely map marks the need for changes to the UK’s current outdated furniture fire safety regulations. In our response to the recent government consultation, ‘Smarter Regulation: Fire safety of domestic upholstered furniture’, we have called for innovative and sustainable fire safety approaches without use of harmful chemicals. Effective fire safety without relying on heavy quantities of chemical flame retardants is possible and is being done in the US, the EU and other countries around the world today. The UK must follow suite to protect wildlife and the wider environment from these toxic and unnecessary chemicals used in our everyday furniture and furnishings.

To stay updated on Fidra’s Sustainable Fire Safety project, follow us on LinkedIn  and  Twitter. If you would like to know more about Fidra’s work on Sustainable Fire Safety, you can also contact us via: info@fidra.org.uk