PFAS stands for per- or poly-fluorinated alkyl substances. They are a group of industrial chemicals widely used in everyday products from food packaging to bike oil, and now widespread throughout our natural environment. Many PFAS are known to cause harm to both the environment and human health.

We at Fidra, alongside many other NGOs and over 250 scientists who have signed ‘The Madrid Statement’ documenting the scientific consensus on PFAS, are concerned. We are concerned about the toxicity of PFAS, its effects on our health and our environment, and its continued and unrelenting use in so many of our industrial processes and consumer products.

More brands are moving away from using PFAS in their products, due to the health and environmental concerns surrounding these chemicals.

As a consumer, choosing PFASfree options is a powerful way to show retailers you want to buy products which do not inflict harm on others. Think of it as voting with your money. For help and inspiration, look at our list of PFASfree products and businesses, here.

At Fidra we understand that it can be hard to find PFASfree products, or understand which ones are safer to use. We are calling for retailers to take PFAS products off their shelves and provide us with safer PFAS free products which reduces the levels of harm inflicted on communities and ecosystems all around the world.

PFAS can harm wildlife. The direct link between PFAS contamination and population decline in wildlife can be difficult to prove as studies have to take account of a wide variety of contributing factors, including other chemical pollutants, climate change and natural population fluctuations. However, we have mounting evidence from both lab experiments and wildlife studies to show that many PFAS cause harm, both at the individual level, and in the overall reproductive and survival rates of wildlife populations.

PFAS are persistent and mobile. Often referred to as the ‘Forever Chemicals’, PFAS do not easily breakdown. Once they enter our environment, they move and they accumulate, but they don’t go away. The PFAS being made, used and thrown away today have the potential to continue polluting our environment for thousands of years.

Find more information on the environmental consequences of PFAS pollution here.

You may have heard of PFCs or perfluorinated compounds. You may have noticed labels and bought waterproofs labelled as PFC-free. The acronym PFC is poorly defined in the scientific literature and is often used interchangeably with the term PFAS. Whilst we continue to argue over terminology, the important thing to remember is that buying items labelled PFC-free is the right thing to do!

You might have heard of Teflon? Maybe you have Teflon frying pans in your kitchen, or bought clothes treated with a Teflon Stain Protector. Most Teflon, unless otherwise stated, is a brand name that implies PFAS.

Do you look for bike oils that contain PTFE or maybe you associate it with non-stick cookware? PTFE, or Polytetrafluoroethylene, is also a common form of polymer PFAS.

You may have seen social media campaigns or heard NGO warnings of ‘Forever Chemicals’. PFAS are the forever chemicals, named for their extreme persistence in the environment. Once PFAS is produced, they are very hard to breakdown and can remain in our environment, moving and causing harm, for thousands of years.

The confusing terminology doesn’t end with the group name. Specific chemicals within the group often have multiple names. For examples, PFOA, a well-known and well-studied PFAS, is often referred to as C8. PFOS and GenX are other commonly discussed members of the PFAS group.

They are unlikely to be labelled, but it is very likely you have products in your home, your shopping basket and your lunch tray that contain PFAS.

Given the oil and water-repellent properties of PFAS, and their wide use as non-stick and lubricating agents, PFAS are found in many of our everyday products. Common items containing hidden PFAS are water-proof clothing and shoes, stain-resistant school uniforms and office shirts, grease-proof baking paper and cardboard food packaging. PFAS is also in bike oils, ski waxes, paints, cleaning products, make-up and shampoos.

You can learn more about which products have PFAS in them and why, here.

But don’t panic! Some companies understand the risks associated with PFAS and avoid using these chemicals in their products. Check out our list of PFASfree products here.

The PFAS used to create non-stick, stain-resistant and water-proof coatings are usually based on ‘polymer PFAS’, e.g. PTFE. These are very large molecules that are generally considered to be too large to be taken up by the cells in our bodies. For this reason, they are generally considered safe for personal use.

However, there may be a risk of these large and stable molecules breaking down to more harmful, ‘non-polymer’ PFAS under certain conditions, for example from when a pan’s surface is damaged or scratched, or when food is cooked at an excessively high heat. Inhalation of PFAS fumes under these conditions is thought to cause Polymer Fume Fever (Reference: doi: 10.1136/bcr-2012-007790), sometimes known as ‘Teflon Flu’; presenting as flu-like symptoms that resolve within 12-24 hours.

Of greater concern is the release of harmful PFAS during the production and manufacture of these polymer treatments/coatings, or as the products breakdown after disposal. For example, PFOA (C8), a well-studied and known toxic PFAS, was a key ingredient in the production of these polymers. The DuPont factory in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where PFAS was used to produce Teflon, is a major source of both localised and wide-spread PFAS pollution. Once the toxicity of PFOA (C8) was well established, a new set of chemicals known as GenX were developed as an alternative. These are also PFAS and are now also known to be extremely harmful to humans and to our environment.

Find more information about the effects of PFAS exposure to human health here.

That’s very much an individual choice. From an environmental standpoint, we don’t want to encourage waste, but it is possible that non-stick pans make up part of your PFAS exposure, especially when the coating is old and flaking. When it does come time to replace your cookware, then we’d definitely recommend ensuring you buy PFAS free, and we have information on our website pfasfree.org.uk that can help you with that.   

There is some, but limited, environmental monitoring for PFOA and PFOS, two well-known and heavily restricted forms of PFAS, but there’s very little knowledge of wider PFAS (there’s around 5000 different chemicals in the group). Methodology to test all PFAS does exist, it’s just very expensive and not widely used at the moment. In short, the measurement process is complex and requires specific laboratory set-ups, so no easy at home tests, and you need to be specific in which species you want to measure. You may be able to find a commercial lab that would analyse samples such as ALS labs, but it’s likely to be expensive. 

As far as we are aware Eurofins is the only testing provider that can look at PFAS blood sampling. We believe the relevant laboratories are not UK based but will accept transited samples.  

We would suggest you write to your MP and express your concerns. We have a Flame Retardant policy briefing on our website that might be helpful for this. 

 There are no public facing petitions that we’re aware of, however there is an open letter for upholsterers asking for changes in Flame Retardants use in upholstered furniture through the current Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 review. We believe it has already been sent but may still be collecting signatures: Open letter and Response.  Even if you can’t sign, it may be some comfort to know you’re very much not alone in your frustrations; the letter has almost 1,000 signatures from the upholstery sector alone!