Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) News and Information

The attorneys, scientists, regulatory specialists, and business consultants of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C^®) and our consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta^®) relentlessly participate in and track developments regarding the global regulatory approach to PFAS. We offer this constantly updated library of PFAS resources to help those in the chemical and chemical products industry understand what they need to know and what it means to their business.

UPCOMING WEBINAR -- PFAS Reporting, PBTs, and Other TSCA Hot Topics, May 17, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (EDT), via webinar
B&C is pleased to present the upcoming “PFAS Reporting, PBTs, and other TSCA Hot Topics” webinar. Panelists will discuss expected PFAS reporting rules, EPA actions on persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals, and other timely Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) issues. More details will be added as they are announced. Registration is open.
 
Selected Regulatory Memoranda​

• March 23, 2023
  Public Consultation Begins on PFAS Restriction Proposal; ECHA Will Hold Information Session on April 5
• March 23, 2023
  Senate Committee Hearing on EPA’s Proposed FY 2024 Budget Addresses TSCA, PFAS
• March 17, 2023
  EPA Holds CERCLA PFAS Enforcement Listening Session
• March 16, 2023
  EPA Proposes First-Ever National Drinking Water Standard for Six PFAS
• March 16, 2023
  White House OSTP Releases State of Science Report on PFAS

MORE Memoranda …
 
Articles

• Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Targets PFAS Cleanup,” Chemical Processing, September 23, 2022.
  Cleanup costs under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) are about to get a lot more expensive. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on September 6, 2022, that it will propose to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), two of the most widely used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as hazardous substances under CERCLA. The rulemaking would also require entities immediately to report releases of PFOA and PFOS that meet or exceed the reportable quantity (RQ). This article discusses the proposal.
   
• Lynn L. Bergeson, “Due diligence in mergers and acquisitions involving chemical products,” Financier Worldwide, October 2022.
  The scope of what diligence is due in any corporate transaction has evolved greatly over the past decade, particularly with respect to transactions involving chemical products. This article explains why the transition to chemical product due diligence has been slow and offers a few tips to help assess what diligence is due in corporate transactions involving chemical products.
   
• Lynn L. Bergeson, “EPA Holds Webinar on PFAS Strategic Roadmap: Research Tools and Resources,” Finishing & Coating, August 22, 2022.
  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency held a webinar on August 17 on the “EPA PFAS Strategic Roadmap: Research Tools and Resources.” The webinar provided a brief overview of EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap and ongoing efforts by EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) to address key PFAS research needs for environmental decision-making.
   
• Lynn L. Bergeson, “Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): One Size Does Not Fit All,” Chemical Processing, February 27, 2022.
  PFAS are getting a lot of attention in the United States and globally. Their varied chemical properties make the categorization of “PFAS” into a single category chemically and scientifically questionable. Increasingly, the ability to make distinctions among this large chemical category is challenging, yet failure to do so could be unwise. This article provides information on PFAS and offers a few suggestions to keep in mind when making business decisions.

MORE Articles …
 
Webinars/Podcasts/Seminars

• UPCOMING WEBINAR -- PFAS Reporting, PBTs, and Other TSCA Hot Topics, May 17, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (EDT), via webinar
  B&C is pleased to present the upcoming “PFAS Reporting, PBTs, and other TSCA Hot Topics” webinar. Panelists will discuss expected PFAS reporting rules, EPA actions on persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals, and other timely Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) issues. More details will be added as they are announced. Registration is open.
   
• WEBINAR ON DEMAND -- Analyzing the EPA’s Proposal to List PFAS Chemicals as Hazardous Substances
  This webinar, presented by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) on January 30, 2023, reviewed what the designation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as “hazardous substances” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) will mean for products regulation and for Superfund sites. A recording and materials are available to ELI members.
   
• PODCAST -- What to Expect in Chemicals Policy and Regulation in 2023 -- A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., All Things Chemical^® podcast, also available as a transcript, released January 19, 2023
   
• WEBINAR ON DEMAND -- EPA PFAS Strategic Roadmap: Research Tools and Resources Webinar Archive
  This webinar, recorded August 17, 2022, provides a brief overview of EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap and ongoing efforts to address key PFAS research needs for environmental decision-making. ORD scientists highlight two recently released data sources: Systematic Evidence Maps for PFAS, and EPA’s PFAS Thermal Treatment Database.
   
• PODCAST -- New PFAS: Is Anything NOT Reportable? — A Conversation with Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., All Things Chemical^® podcast, also available as a transcript, released July 8, 2021

Other PFAS links

• EPA PFAS Resource Page
• PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021-2024
• EPA PFAS Resources, Data and Tools
• EPA PFAS Analytic Tools
• EPA Press Releases Related to PFAS
• European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) PFAS Resource Page