HSE report on managing risks from PFAS
Posted on May 11, 2023 Tags: Industry NewsThe Health and Safety Executive, in partnership with the Environment Agency, has produced a report entitled ‘Analysis of the most appropriate regulatory management options for Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)’.
Their report, dated March 2023, is a Regulatory Management Options Analysis (RMOA) and is a non-binding technical document. PFAS in the scope of the RMOA are regulated to a certain extent within Great Britain including health and safety legislation, General Product Safety Regulations, Water Supply Regulations, Materials and Articles in Contact with Food Regulations, and Environmental Quality Standards.
The report concludes that it would be appropriate to initiate risk management measures with regard to certain uses of PFAS, and whilst “there are alternatives to PFAS in many applications, particular in the simpler consumer uses, although more complex industrial applications may be more challenging and require further research with respect to requisite performance, eg fluoropolymers and fluoroelastomers are mentioned specifically in the call for evidence.”
