Webinar on Advancing the knowledge on PFAS – Reports on perfluoropolyethers and on PFAS alternatives in cosmetics

The OECD organised a webinar to provide an overview of two recent OECD reports on PFAS: the Synthesis Report on Understanding Perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs) and Their Life Cycle, and the PFASs and Alternatives in Cosmetics report on commercial availability and current uses.

The PFPE report presents a synthesis of publicly available information on PFPEs, with the aim of elucidating the identities of PFPEs on the global market and analysing their life cycle. This includes their production and use, presence of other PFASs as impurities in commercial formulations, degradation mechanisms, and environmental releases of PFPEs and other PFASs in commercial formulations. The report comes with a separate Annex comprising five spreadsheets providing information on: substances identities, structures and, production and use information.

The OECD also highlighted forthcoming work on fluoropolymers and clarify the scope of past work on polymers of low concern.

The PFAS and alternatives in cosmetic report gathers information on alternatives to PFASs in cosmetic products, focusing on their commercial availability, current uses, market penetration, feasibility, effectiveness, and cost. 

Discover what the event is about.

• Introduction by Eeva Leinala, Environment Directorate, OECD (5 min) 
• Overview of Synthesis report on PFPEs by Zhanyun Wang, Empa-Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (20 min)
• Next steps of polymeric PFAS at the OECD and summary of past work on polymers of low concern by Eeva Leinala, Environment Directorate, OECD (5 min)
• Overview of the report on PFAS and alternatives in cosmetics by Eeva Leinala, Environment Directorate, OECD (10 min)
• Q&A (20 min).