On Friday, 3 October, the European Commission adopted measures limiting the use of PFAS, also known as “forever pollutants”, in firefighting foams under the REACH Regulation.
As of 23 October 2030, placing firefighting foams that contain a concentration equal to or greater than 1 mg/L for the total number of all PFAS on the market will be prohibited.
The restrictions will begin earlier—with longer or shorter transition periods depending on the sector: 18 months for municipal services, 36 months for the use of firefighting foams containing PFAS in civil ships, and 5 years for civil aviation, defence, and portable fire extinguishers. As for industries that deal with numerous different flammable liquids at the same site, they will have 10 years to comply.
Twelve months after adoption—as soon as October 2026—labels will have to indicate whether the foam contains PFAS.
European Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall declared that this decision represents an “important step forward to tackle PFAS pollution across Europe”. She reiterated that around 60% of firefighting foams contain PFAS and that this has led to “many cases of contamination of soil and water, including drinking water”.
The European Commission adopted this restriction after it was examined by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and by committees of experts from the Commission and from Member States. The restriction procedure under the REACH Regulation does not require that a formal vote be held in the European Parliament.
See the regulation: https://aeur.eu/f/iru (Original version in French by Florent Servia)