11/19/2014 02/10/2012: Industry Progressing in Voluntary Effort to Reduce Toxic Chemicals / Companies have successfully developed over 150 alternatives to long...

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Industry Progressing in Voluntary Effort to Reduce Toxic Chemicals /

Companies have successfully developed over 150 alternatives to longchain perfluorinated chemicals

Release Date: 02/10/2012

Contact Information: Dale Kemery (News Media Only) kemery.dale@epa.gov 202-564-7839 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the interim results of a voluntary effort

by eight chemical manufacturers to reduce emissions and use of long-chain perfluorinated chemicals (LCPFCs), including

perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Used in hundreds of manufacturing and industrial applications, LCPFCs are toxic,

persistent in our environment worldwide and can accumulate in people. Reducing toxic chemicals in our environment is

one of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s top priorities.

EPA’s 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program was established in 2006 in partnership with DuPont, Solvay Solexis, Asahi

Glass Company, Daikin America, Inc., Clariant International Ltd., 3M/Dyneon, Arkema Inc. and BASF (formerly Ciba

Specialty Chemicals Corporation). The program set a goal of reducing facility emissions and product content of PFOA and

related chemicals on a global basis by 95 percent, no later than 2010, and to work toward eliminating emissions and

product content of these chemicals by 2015. The interim results released today highlight the success companies

participating in the partnership have made in reducing releases of PFOA and other LCPFCs.

Daikin, DuPont, 3M/Dyneon and Solvay Solexis have met the program’s intermediate goal of a 95 percent reduction in

global emissions and product content by 2010. The companies continue to reduce emissions of LCPFC’s as well as

overall product content of LCPFC’s. Additionally, more than150 replacement chemicals have been developed. The eight

participating companies have informed EPA that they are on track to phase out LCPFCs by the end of 2015.

“I am pleased to see that many of the Stewardship Program companies are making excellent progress and all are on track

to meet the ultimate goal of phasing out LCPFCs by the end of 2015,” said Jim Jones, acting assistant administrator for

EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “The program is an important part of the agency's efforts to

mitigate exposures to LCPFCs.”

EPA remains concerned about LCPFCs being produced by companies that are not participating in the stewardship

program and intends to take action to address those concerns. These actions are part of an ongoing effort outlined in 2009

that would further reduce exposure to LCPFCs by addressing their use in products from sources other than the eight

companies participating in the stewardship program. For more information on these efforts, see the action plan at:

http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/actionplans/pfcs.html

More information on PFOA and LCPFCs: www.epa.gov/oppt/pfoa.

Company progress reports and EPA's summary tables: http://epa.gov/oppt/pfoa/pubs/stewardship/preports5.html.

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