09:00 - 10:00

• Webinar 1 - The cost of PFAS pollution for our society

  Viviane André
  More information

  PFAS are persistent and bioaccumulative chemicals, that are widely used in industry and consumer products. A recent publication from the European Commission 'The cost of PFAS pollution for our society' assesses the societal costs of PFAS pollution in the European Economic Area (EEA) under four hypothetical emission and exposure scenarios, for the period 2024-2050. The study quantified costs of human health impacts and soil and water pollution remediation costs, and assesses ecosystem services impacts in a qualitative manner. The coordinator of the study in the European Commission, dr. Viviane André, was invited as a speaker for an EmConSoil webinar, to discuss the results and implications of this work. 

13:00 - 14:00

• Webinar 2 - Confronting the irreversible threat of TFA accumulating in our soil, groundwater, crops and blood

  

  Hans Peter Arp
  More information

  Since the late 1990s, environmental exposure to trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) has become widespread and is increasing. TFA is an ultrashort-chain perfluoroalkyl acid and a highly persistent and mobile member of the PFAS family. It spreads rapidly through the environment and, once present in water resources and crops, is extremely difficult and economically challenging to remove. TFA originates from multiple sources, including the transformation of fluorinated gases, pesticides and pharmaceuticals, as well as direct industrial releases. Of particular concern is its rapidly increasing accumulation in groundwater resources and plant-based foods. At the same time, thresholds for TFA in surface water, drinking water and the human diet are being established and reassessed. While ultrashort-chain PFAS such as TFA have historically been considered less hazardous than long-chain PFAS, this assessment has not adequately accounted for increasing, widespread and effectively irreversible environmental and societal exposure. Today, exposure is rising rapidly, while thresholds of concern are decreasing as our understanding of TFA's potential impacts improves. This combination raises an important question: How close are current and future exposures to levels at which impacts become irreversible?

  The continued accumulation of TFA therefore represents a potential planetary-boundary threat and provides a strong rationale for reducing emissions of TFA and its many precursors. This presentation will examine the current state of knowledge on TFA sources, exposure trends and thresholds of concern, before considering ways forward. It will conclude by exploring how we can proactively develop preventative solutions to manage and reduce TFA accumulation, requiring diverse stakeholders to act collectively within a context of regulatory clarity that supports innovation, substitution and sustainable remediation.