Gujarat Fluorochemicals: A hidden fluorine story

• From the U.S. to Europe and beyond, authorities are developing legislative and regulatory approaches to limit exposure to, and adverse health and environmental effects from, PFAS. Currently, many of the proposals include fluoropolymers in their definition of PFAS, likely because some manufacturers use and emit fluorinated surfactants in the polymerization of their fluoropolymers. Regulators and scientists believe that the use of fluorosurfactants in the manufacture of fluoropolymers is a considerable source of PFAS pollution in the environment.

• Several manufacturers can already produce majority of their fluoropolymers without fluorinated polymerization aids and are voluntarily committed to completely stop using fluorosurfactants in their manufacturing processes.

• Fluoropolymers produced without fluorosurfactants pose no risk to the environment and therefore should be exempted from the coming PFAS restrictions.

• Fluoropolymers are crucial to, and irreplaceable in semiconductors, lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells for electric vehicles, renewable energy, transportation, medical equipment, chemical process industry, food processing, water filtration systems, data transmission and electronics, and so on.

• It is therefore crucial to develop technologies to produce these substances safely, as several manufacturers made it possible, and for the regulatory environment to recognize the difference between fluoropolymers made without the use and emission of fluorinated surfactants on the one hand and PFAS of concern on the other.

My current understanding based on this LinkedIn post and the ones posted on this page previously.

• Fluorosurfactants are at the root of PFAS pollution.
• Fluoropolymers made without Fluorosurfactants are safe, at least in the eyes of Fluoropolymer manufacturers. Yet to come across a regulator who’s stated Fluorosurfactant free Fluoropolymers are safe.
• As things stand today, Fluoropolymers are irreplaceable. Hard to imagine a world without semiconductors, lithium-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells for electric vehicles, renewable energy, transportation, medical equipment, water filtration systems, data transmission, electronics, and so on.
• Regulators are still in the process of recognizing the difference between fluoropolymers made without fluorinated surfactants and with fluorinated surfactants.
• Fluoropolymer manufacturers are likely to lobby hard with regulators because their multi billion dollar businesses depend on this regulation. 3M’s 2022 revenue was $34 Billion and the decision to exit PFAS was relatively easy because less than 4% of their revenue came from this space. On the other hand, companies’ whose entire businesses depend on this one regulation are likely to fight tooth and nail over this pie.