The Clear Trend is Air Clear’s valuable insight into the most important environmental issues currently occurring in the industrial sector today. Here we cover what’s happening and why you need to know, so that you are ahead of the curve. At Air Clear, we understand how important it is to stay informed about what direction the domestic industrial market is heading. We take time researching every new environmental opportunity for our customer’s and their applications. One high profile topic is about two contaminants of emerging concern, Perfluorooctane Sulfonate chemicals (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid chemicals (PFOA). PFOA’s & PFOS’s are industrial chemicals that have been long produced in the US and are collectively referred to by the EPA as PFAS short for polyfluoroalkyl substances. Introduced in the early 1940s, PFOS & PFOA started to be used in many applications, from coating clothing, food packaging, carpets, furniture, cookware, and many other commonly used products. Almost immediately PFAS found success because of their resistance to stains, water, oil/grease, and even heat.
A revolutionary breakthrough came in the form of nonstick cook-ware coatings such as “Teflon.” Highly versatile, these PFAS were also being used in cleaning products, fire-retardant foams, as well as a wide variety of new industrial uses that were seeming to be equally as lucrative. PFAS, or referred to by the EPA as “forever chemicals,” which they are commonly known as, do not break down in nature for thousands of years and are known to bioaccumulate in humans & wildlife. Another unfortunate fact is that these polyfluoroalkyl chemicals are linked to a wide array of serious health issues such as: decreased response to vaccines, high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, pregnancy-induced hypertension and multiple Cancers such as kidney /testicular etc. This makes their presence in our bodies and environments that much more troubling. PFAS are routinely found in soil, air and groundwater at sites across the US as well as inside a staggering 99.7% of the American population. This has people demanding something be done.
The CLEAR TREND we see in the US is both the Federal & State government are taking action on forever chemicals. In October of 2021, the EPA announced they are committing to new policies designed to protect the environment, safeguard the public and hold dischargers accountable with their newly released EPA PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021-2024 | US EPA. More evidence that the tide is turning domestically, as states like Minnesota have begun labeling the EPA’s PFAS as “emerging contaminants” becoming “the focus of active research.” Three other states (New York, New Hampshire & Michigan) have already proposed or enacted restrictions on PFAS in air emissions. President Biden is also taking this seriously, on December 8th, his administration issued a new executive order on sustainable procurement that directs federal agencies to not use PFAS and to “seek alternatives.”
Various US lawmakers have equally been proactive by introducing legislation that directs the EPA to regulate PFAS air emissions as Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). With a series of strict regulations seemingly inevitable, some manufacturers of PFAS are scrambling for quick environmental solutions. On page 7 of the EPA’s new journal, they say “EPA will use its authorities to impose appropriate limitations on the introduction of new unsafe PFAS into commerce and will, as appropriate, use all available regulatory and permitting authorities to limit emissions and discharges from industrial facilities.”
Collectively these steps represent meaningful strides to safeguard communities from dangerous contamination and also lay the groundwork for permanent protective solutions. As with any industry that creates emissions, proactively making Air Pollution Control Equipment a priority is just smart business. If you’re a company that has PFAS in your process stream the time to act is now. Air Clear is positioned to help our clients stay ahead of unexpected potential interruptions from inevitable regulations by always looking ahead. Air Clear has successfully dealt with the removal of PFAS from process air streams for over 25 years now, if you want to learn how we’ve been removing them then look for Part 2 coming soon or contact us directly!
For more information on Clear Trends or to learn more about Air Clear’s products & services and proven design solutions to eliminate PFAS, then please visit our newly designed website at www.airclear.net
Steven Michael O’Connor
Clear Trends Vol.1
December 2021