The EPA announced in early January which PFAS, also called forever chemicals, were added to the list.
Nine per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals, have been added to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list.
Under the TRI, facilities that use quantities of any of the nine PFAS greater than a specific level are required to report certain data, including “quantities of such chemicals that were released into the environment or otherwise managed as waste,” according to the news release. [EPA Requires Reporting on Releases and Other Waste Management for Nine Additional PFAS | US EPA]
“Communities have a right to know how and where PFAS are being managed, released, or recycled,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff in the news release. “EPA continues to work to fill critical data gaps for these chemicals and ensure this data is publicly available.”
The nine PFAS include the following:
- Alcohols, C8-16, γ-ω-perfluoro, reaction products with 1,6-diisocyanatohexane, glycidol and stearyl alc. (2728655-42-1)
- Acetamide, N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-, 2-[(γ-ω-perfluoro-C4-20-alkyl)thio] derivs. (2738952-61-7)
- Acetic acid, 2-[(γ-ω-perfluoro-C4-20-alkyl)thio] derivs., 2-hydroxypropyl esters (2744262-09-5)
- Acetamide, N-(2-aminoethyl)-, 2-[(γ-ω-perfluoro-C4-20-alkyl)thio] derivs., polymers with N1,N1-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine, epichlorohydrin and ethylenediamine, oxidized (2742694-36-4)
- PFBA (375-22-4)
- Perfluorobutanoate (45048-62-2)
- Ammonium perfluorobutanoate (10495-86-0)
- Potassium perfluorobutanoate (2966-54-3)
- Sodium perfluorobutanoate (2218-54-4)
The EPA announced the changes in early January.
PFAS can be found in a multitude of products and can end up in the environment, humans and animals. The effects of exposure are not fully known, but research is being conducted.
Read more about the EPA’s work on PFAS last year in Environmental Protection’s 2022 article. [A Year in Review: EPA’s Work on PFAS — Environmental Protection (eponline.com)]
Source: Environmental Protection
January 20, 2023
