PFAS - a topic we should talk about

PFAS is currently on everyone's lips - also with regard to technical coatings. According to "Das Magazin des Umweltbundesamtes 1/2020", PFAS are "water-repellent, dirt repellent, grease repellent - these are the main properties of a group of chemicals abbreviated as PFC or PFAS. They are found in countless products, from outdoor jackets to Teflon pans to fire-fighting foams. PFC stands for per- and polyfluorinated chemicals. Another name is PFAS - per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances. This group of substances now includes more than 4,700 different substances. Because PFASs are used in so many ways, there are also many ways they can enter the environment: During the manufacture of the chemicals themselves, their further processing into products, during the use of the products and then during disposal. PFASs are used all over the world. PFASs can spread through the air, rivers and oceans to remote areas like the Arctic. The problem: they are hardly degradable and therefore remain in the environment for a very long time. Some PFASs accumulate in animals, plants and humans and are also harmful to health."

FBS Balke International GmbH & Co. KG is a company that has anchored responsibility towards its employees, customers and the environment in its corporate objectives and is currently also intensively dealing with the PFAS issue.

Our intensive contact with our selected manufacturers of technical coatings and the constant communication with their laboratories makes us a reliable partner for you, too, if you have questions about PFAS.

There are already alternatives to the technical, property-giving coatings, but these alternatives are different from the currently used fluoropolymers in terms of the results in practice. Our suppliers are working on improvements, and we are working with you on references that will allow us to offer you the best PFAS free product currently available on the market.

FBS Balke International also continues to offer you its established and proven fluoropolymer range.

This continues to comply with all relevant legislation.

If you have any questions on this subject, or if you would like an alternative to the coatings you are using, please do not hesitate to contact us. The time limits for the use of PFASs in the EU are summarised here:

Restriction proposal

• ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) proposes to ban PFAS (including PTFE, PFA, FEP and all other fluoropolymers) 18 months after the law comes into force.
• This also includes coatings that use fluoropolymers.
• However, the restriction proposal also includes exemptions.
• Public consultation: 22 March-22 September 2023
• Entry into force: End of 2025 at the earliest
  
  
  

Exception rules for application areas of coatings

Note: This information clearly summarizes the cited legal documents for you. The statements listed have been carefully compiled to the best of our knowledge and belief. No claim is made as to the completeness and exclusivity of the contents. Therefore, no liability is assumed.