PFOS Testing Service for Electronics and Electrical Appliances

PFOS Testing

1. PFOS Introduction

PFOS stands for perfluorooctane sulphonate, an acronym derived from perfluorooctane sulphonate. It consists of a fully fluorinated anion from perfluorinated sulfonic acids. The term "perfluorinated" is often used to describe substances in which all hydrogen ions in carbon atoms are replaced by fluorine. PFOS has become a representative term for various derivatives of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and polymers containing these derivatives. When PFOS is detected in the environment, it typically exists in a degraded form. Substances that can decompose into PFOS are referred to as PFOS-related substances. According to the U.S. Chemical Abstracts registry, 96 different fluorinated organic compounds can release PFOS into the environment through degradation, and these are classified as PFOS-related substances.

It is reported that PFOS is one of the most persistent organic pollutants, characterized by its hydrophobic and oleophobic properties, and has a wide range of applications. PFOS can be ingested by organisms through respiration and consumption, with most of it binding to plasma proteins in the blood, while the remainder accumulates in the liver and muscle tissues of animals. Animal experiments indicate that a PFOS content of 2 milligrams per kilogram of body weight can lead to death.

2. PFOS Applications

PFOS-related chemicals are used in various products, primarily in three application areas:

(1) PFOS-related chemicals used in surface treatment ensure stain, oil, and water resistance for personal clothing, home decor, and automotive interiors.

(2) PFOS-related chemicals used in paper protection, as part of the pulp forming process, provide oil and water resistance for paper and cardboard.

(3) PFOS-related chemicals in the category of performance chemicals are widely used in specialized industrial, commercial, and consumer fields. This category includes various PFOS salts commercialized as final products.

Other historical uses of PFOS, its salts, and precursors include applications in carpets, fabrics, upholstery, and food packaging as repellents for moisture, oil, soil, and grease. Surfactants are used in specialized applications such as firefighting foams, aviation hydraulic fluids, and mist suppression in metal plating.

3. Items Potentially Containing PFOS in the Electronics Manufacturing Industry

Liquids such as: detergents, cleaning solutions, etching solutions, various treatment agents, insulating oils

Coatings and sprays such as: PC steel plates, powder coatings, pigments, dyes

Inks and printed materials such as: electrodes, resistors

Surface treatment agents and treated surfaces such as: electroplated products, plating materials, anti-reflective materials, protective films

Molded products and materials such as: printed circuit boards, ceramic substrates, resins, sliding materials, gaskets

Solder-related items such as: fluxes, solder pastes

Auxiliary materials for processes such as: greases, release agents, sealants, lubricants, adhesives

4. PFOS Hazards:

PFOS and its derivatives enter organisms through inhalation, drinking water, and food intake and are difficult to excrete, ultimately accumulating in the blood, liver, kidneys, and brain of humans and other organisms. PFOS exhibits hepatotoxicity, affects fat metabolism, reduces sperm count and increases abnormal sperm in experimental animals, increases peroxidation products in multiple organs causing oxidative damage, and directly or indirectly harms genetic material. PFOS disrupts the balance of excitatory and inhibitory amino acids in the central nervous system, making animals more excitable and irritable; it delays growth and development in young animals, affects memory and the establishment of conditioned reflexes, and reduces thyroid hormone levels in serum. Extensive research has found that PFOS possesses genetic toxicity, male reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, developmental toxicity, and endocrine disruption effects, among others, and is considered a class of environmental pollutants with systemic multi-organ toxicity.

(1) Persistence

(2) Bioaccumulation

(3) Toxicity

(4) Long-range environmental transport capability

5. Restriction Directives

On December 27, 2006, the European Parliament and the Council jointly issued the Directive on the Restriction of the Marketing and Use of Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (2006/122/EC). The draft was passed by the European Parliament on October 30, 2006, with 632 votes in favor and 10 against. It was finally approved by the Council on December 12, 2006, and officially published and came into effect on December 27, 2006.

The EU will strictly restrict the use of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). The European Parliament collectively voted to adopt the final amendment to the EU Dangerous Substances Directive (76/769/EEC) before it was incorporated into the new Chemicals Regulation (REACH). Member states will have 18 months to transpose the directive into national law (by June 27, 2008). In December 2002, PFOS was defined as a substance that persists in the environment, is bioaccumulative, and harmful to humans at the 34th Joint Meeting of the Chemicals Committee of the OECD. The REACH regulation designates PFOS as a key chemical requiring prior authorization for use due to its status as a well-known persistent organic pollutant.

6. Limit Requirements

According to 2006/122/EC, preparations containing PFOS as a component with a concentration or mass equal to or exceeding 0.005% may not be sold; for textiles or other coated materials, if the amount of PFOS in the coating material is equal to or exceeds 1 μg/m², sales are prohibited. If PFOS is used in semi-finished products with a concentration or mass equal to or exceeding 0.1%, the semi-finished products and components are also banned from sale. The directive restricts all products intentionally containing PFOS, including specific components and surface layers of products, such as textiles. However, the restrictions apply only to new products; products already in use and those on the second-hand market are not restricted.

7. Exemptions

(1) Photoresists or anti-reflective coatings for photolithography processes;

(2) Photographic coatings for films, photographic paper, or printing plates;

(3) Anti-fogging agents for non-decorative hexavalent chromium plating or wetting agents for controlled electroplating systems;

(4) Hydraulic fluids.