EPA Releases New Methodology to Detect Low Levels of PFAS in Plastic Containers
Released on February 15, 2024
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is releasing a new methodology for detecting per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in plastic containers, taking another step to protect the public from these harmful chemicals. The new method will provide an additional tool for EPA and for industries that use high-density polyethylene (HDPE) containers to identify PFAS contamination. This action also supports EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap, which renewed the Agency’s commitment to using sound science and investing in research to proactively stop PFAS chemicals from entering the environment.
Since learning about potential PFAS contamination in a small number of mosquitocide products in September 2020, EPA has taken a number of steps to address this issue. These include:
- releasing data in March 2021 that preliminarily determined that PFAS in those specific products formed from a chemical reaction during the container fluorination process which then leached into the pesticide product;
- releasing another study in September 2022 testing the leaching potential of PFAS over a specific time into test solutions packaged in different brands of HDPE fluorinated containers; and
- notifying manufacturers (including importers), processors, distributors, users, and those that dispose of fluorinated HDPE containers and similar plastics that the presence of PFAS formed as a byproduct in these containers may be a violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
Following that notification, the Department of Justice, on behalf of EPA, filed a complaint against Inhance Technologies, the company that manufactured the plastic mosquitocide containers in which PFAS was found. Inhance Technologies failed to comply with TSCA’s notice, review, and determination requirements prior to manufacture. Separately, in December 2023, EPA issued orders to Inhance under TSCA section 5 directing it not to produce long-chain PFAS that are created in the production of its fluorinated HDPE containers.
The method released today establishes robust and validated procedures that allow reliable detection and quantification of 32 PFAS directly from the walls of the container itself. This method can accurately identify PFAS contamination at levels as low as 0.002 parts-per-billion (or 2 parts-per-trillion). In releasing this method to the public, EPA is enabling the industries that utilize HDPE containers, including container manufacturers, to test the containers before use, preventing PFAS contamination of pesticides and other products stored in HDPE plastic containers. The method also has wide applicability for other industries, as it can be modified to test for PFAS in additional solid samples such as fabric, packaging paper, and more.
Read more about this action and other actions to address PFAS in HDPE plastic here.
Read about wider EPA efforts to address PFAS here.