Five Companies Ordered to Conduct PFAS Testing

EPA is requiring Innovative Chemical Technologies, Chemours, Daikin America, Sumitomo, and Du Pont to conduct testing on a substance known as 6:2 fluorotelomer acrylate or 6:2 FTAc. The agency’s action is the fifth such “test order” that EPA has promulgated as part of its national testing strategy for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS.

Companies subject to test orders must either conduct testing as specified by EPA or submit existing information about the substance that the agency may not have considered.

6:2 FTAc is a component in the manufacture of plastics, resins, textiles, apparel, leather, and other chemicals. According to EPA, the chemical structure of 6:2 FTAc is similar to that of some carcinogens, and studies of rodents exposed to 6:2 FTAc suggest that it causes changes in blood cell counts, liver and kidney size, and animal behavior. Yearly production of 6:2 FTAc in the United States ranges from 1 million to 20 million pounds per year.

For more information, refer to the EPA press release and its national PFAS testing strategy.

Related: Read about challenges related to researching and managing exposures to PFAS and how the substances complicate the work of product stewards.