On December 4, 2023, European Commission released a Draft regulation to revise several provisions concerning perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and its derivatives under the Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 on persistent organic pollutants (also known as the POPs Regulation). The draft is open for feedback until January 1, 2024.
As per the draft, the following modifications are made:
Aligning the substance identification for the entry of PFOS with the one for PFOA;
Introducing an Unintentional Trace Contaminant (UTC) level for PFOS and its salts of 0,025 mg/kg (in line with the one for PFOA);
Reducing the UTC for PFOS-related substances in substances, mixtures and articles to 1 mg/kg (in line with the one for PFOA);
Deleting point 4 and 5 of the fourth column of PFOS entry.
Here is the highlights of proposed revision of PFOS entry in POPs Regulation:
| Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 | Draft ragulation | |
| Substance | Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its derivatives (PFOS) C8F17SO2X (X = OH, Metal salt (O-M+), halide, amide, and other derivatives including polymers) | Perfluroctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and PFOS-related compounds C8F17SO2X (X = OH, Metal salt (O-M+ ), halide, amide, and other related compounds including polymers) |
Specific exemption on intermediate use or other specification | ≤10 mg/kg (0,001 % by weight) of PFOS as UTC in substances or mixtures | ≤0,025 mg/kg (0,0000025 % by weight) of PFOS or any of its salts as UTC in substances, mixtures or articles |
| <0.1% by weight (calculated with reference to the mass of structurally or micro-structurally distinct parts that contain PFOS) of PFOS as UTC in semi-finished products or articles, or parts thereof, or 1 μg/m2 for the amount of PFOS as UTC in the coated material | ≤1mg/kg (0.0001% by weight) for the sum of concentration of all PFOS-related compounds as UTC in substances, mixtures or articles |
The draft regulation can be accessed here.
