About Fluoropolymers - Performance Fluoropolymer Partnership

Fluoropolymers possess a unique combination of properties that allow them to perform under the toughest conditions. They impart a wide range of important performance characteristics that are vital for the manufacture and performance of medical devices, cell phones and laptops, telecommunications infrastructure and advanced transportation and aerospace applications, among many others. They are essential to the electronic storage and sharing of data, enabling everything from electronic medical records to instantaneous commerce, banking and financial transactions. In turn, fluoropolymers help improve the efficiency and durability of the products and processes in which they’re used.

Furthermore, fluoropolymers enable sustainable solutions used around the world, providing enhanced energy efficiency, support for alternative energy, product durability/longevity, improved process safety, and more. For example:

Fluoropolymers are a key element of fuel cell and lithium ion battery technology;
Fluoropolymer fuel tubes and hoses drastically reduce fugitive emissions and enable automakers to achieve LEV III emissions standards;
Fluoropolymer release films allow for the manufacture of carbon fiber reinforced composite structural components that provide lighter weight and fuel efficiency for both aerospace and automotive applications;
Fluoropolymers increase the production efficiency of solar photovoltaic (PV) cells; and
Fluoropolymer gaskets and seals are used across industries to prevent leaks and environmental releases.

Fluoropolymer Safety

Fluoropolymers have well-established safety profiles and do not present a significant concern for human health or the environment. Because of their unique combination of physical and chemical properties, fluoropolymers meet criteria developed to identify polymers of low concern for potential risk to human health or the environment.¹ These criteria were developed by chemical regulatory experts working collaboratively under the auspices of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. ²

Fluoropolymers are large, stable, inert polymeric molecules. Polymeric, high molecular weight fluoropolymers are too large to cross biological membranes and therefore present little potential for human or environmental exposure. Fluoropolymers are not water soluble and as a result are not found in sources of drinking water. Importantly, fluoropolymers are not PFOA or PFOS or other long-chain PFAS, nor can they transform to those substances in the environment.

Fluoropolymers: A Unique Combination of Properties That Demonstrates All PFAS Not the Same

Fluoropolymers are specialty materials that can simultaneously impart strength, durability, heat and chemical resistance, and high performance electrical insulation. This unique combination of properties extends the lifespan of components, improves fire safety, increases data transmission speeds, and enables the creation of the smaller, more powerful, more integrated electronic products the market demands.

They are critical to life in the 21st century, enabling technologies such as semiconductors, renewable energy, conventional and battery powered vehicles, medical devices, and energy exploration and production.

To be sure, Fluoropolymers are part of the broad family of fluorinated chemistries known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. However, there is much confusion in the news and the public regarding PFAS, as they are often lumped together and not differentiated. Fluoropolymers have well-established safety profiles and do not present a significant concern for human health or the environment. In fact, fluoropolymers have district physical and chemical properties and should not be grouped into one class for regulatory purposes.

Furthermore, peer reviewed research³ indicates that they meet internationally recognized criteria to be considered “Polymers of Low Concern” (PLC) for potential risk to human health and the environment. They are large, stable, inert polymeric molecules that are too large to cross biological membranes and therefore do not present significant concerns. Fluoropolymers are not PFOA or PFOS or other long-chain PFAS, nor can they transform to those substances.

A Chinese Asian female medical or scientific researcher or doctor using a microscope in a laboratory with her colleague out of focus behind her.

We support strong, science-based chemical regulations that are protective of human health and the environment, and it’s important for regulators and the scientific community to understand the facts when addressing fluoropolymers. Unfortunately, though, there has been growing pressure to regulate all PFAS as a single group.

We do not support attempts to regulate all PFAS as a class, as different types of PFAS have different properties and different health and environmental profiles. It is neither scientifically accurate nor appropriate to regulate all PFAS as if they were a single substance ⁴ ⁵.

Given their important contribution to our daily lives, it is vital that questions about the safety and environmental profile of fluoropolymers are properly addressed. Members of the Performance Fluoropolymer Partnership are committed to working with all stakeholders, including regulators, academics, our customers, and the public at large, so that we can continue to use fluoropolymers safely and with confidence.

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