PFAS Restriction Proposal Triggers a Flood of Comments

The restriction proposal for PFAS has resulted in a flood of around 5,600 comments. The ECHA must now review them by the end of September 2024. Because the planned restriction covers more than 10,000 PFAS, it affects many applications in a wide range of industries, including the electronics and semiconductor industry, transportation, energy, medical devices, and refrigeration systems. The ECHA will therefore divide and evaluate the record number of responses by sector.

As a first step, the ECHA wants to focus on the hazard assessments of PFAS in ski wax, consumer blends, and cosmetics, given that these areas received the fewest comments. The ECHA is currently working with the five countries (Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) that submitted the restriction dossier on the exact road map for the next steps. The agency will update the restriction proposal after reviewing all the comments.

As part of the evaluation, the responsible parties must sift through more than 100,000 pages of information – 5,600 comments that include 6,400 attachments. Most of the responses came from Sweden (1,369), Germany (1,298), and Japan (938). The content is mostly about technical information on PFAS applications, exemptions, and alternatives. For example, many companies are calling for an exemption for fluoropolymers.

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