Citation:

Wang, Z., A. Buser, I. Cousins, S. Demattio, W. Drost, O. Johansson, K. Ohno, G. Patlewicz, A. Richard, G. Walker, G. White, AND E. Leinala. A New OECD Definition for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 55(23):15575-15578, (2021). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c06896

Impact/Purpose:

N/A

Description:

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) comprise a class of chemicals that has attracted much attention since the early 2000s, when the hazards and ubiquitous occurrence of two PFASs¿perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)¿were reported. Early communications used multiple terms such as “per- and polyfluorinated chemicals”, “perfluorinated organics”, “perfluorochemical surfactants”, and “highly fluorinated compounds”. In 2011, to harmonize communication, Buck et al. published a milestone paper, providing the first clear structural definition of PFASs and recommendations on the names and acronyms for over 200 individual PFASs. Since then, research and regulation has expanded from PFOA and PFOS to a much wider range of substances. In 2018, the so-called “Global PFC Group” led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published a list of over 4700 PFASs that contain a −CnF2n– (n ≥ 3) or −CnF2nOCmF2m– (n and m ≥ 1) moiety and that were known or likely to have been on the global market. The list included substances that contain fully fluorinated carbon moieties, but do not meet the PFAS definition in Buck et al. (2011) due to a lack of a −CF3 group in the molecule. Additionally, recent advancement of nontargeted analytical techniques enabled identification of many unknown PFASs in environmental and product samples. These developments provided motivation to reconcile the terminology of the PFAS universe, including a renewed look at the PFAS definition. Against this backdrop, a report on the terminology of PFASs was recently published under the framework of the Global PFC Group. (3) This report reflects a three-year multistakeholder international effort in reviewing the universe and terminology of PFASs to provide recommendations and practical guidance. We encourage stakeholders from academia, civil society, industry, and government to read the report and consider adopting its recommendations, wherever feasible, to help enable the coherent and consistent use of PFAS terminology across sectors and around the world. This Viewpoint provides an overview of the report.

URLs/Downloads:

Record Details: