Addressing PFAS in the construction industry

Despite their utility, some of PFAS substances are being increasingly recognized as environmental contaminants with adverse effects on human health. With a team of experts, we are investigating the challenge head-on to raise awareness about the scope of this group of over 14,000 synthetic chemicals.¹

PFAS is a hot topic. The synthetic carbon-fluorine bonded substances are being found in more and more places. PFAS have been found in rainwater, in drinking water, in eggs and veal, and in the ground from Australia to the Arctic.  

PFAS are all around us – in everyday items including non-stick frying pans, outdoor clothing, guitar strings, menstrual products, condoms and carpets. We need the same awareness of the use of these chemicals in the building industry.  

Due to the strength of the carbon-fluorine bond, PFAS are durable, resistant to high temperatures, and water and dirt repellent, attributes which make them widely used in the construction industry, for example incorporated into the surface of façade cladding, working the same way as a person’s raincoat.

The Danish context

The Danish government has recently published a comprehensive PFAS Action Plan to protect citizens from PFAS in their everyday life and environment, which states “The efforts are broad-based, with a focus on cleaning drinking water and soil of PFAS, banning and phasing out PFAS in products and in industry, more control, more measurements and strengthened monitoring of PFAS in the environment, in food and food-producing animals, in consumer products and in our nature, cooperation with business and ensuring thorough and timely information to citizens about PFAS.” Acknowledging the limitations of a national plan due to the high mobility of certain PFAS, the Danish Action Plan calls for a general ban on PFAS in the EU and globally, where possible.²

Denmark together with four other countries has submitted a proposal for a PFAS ban in the EU. It could be the most comprehensive ban on chemical substances ever, and as articulated in the Action Plan, Denmark continues to work to implement the proposed regulations.³

For the construction sector in Denmark there is currently limited transparency of chemical substances on a product level and regulation of PFAS is still evolving. Given the ambitions of the sector to focus on diverting resources from waste into reuse, this lack of content information on newly manufactured products is problematic. Potentially harmful and persistent substances could have detrimental implications for current as well as future applications.  

Together with experts from the Technological Institute, WSP Denmark A/S, Søren Jensen Consulting Engineers, and Green Transition Denmark, we are diving deep into the conversation. Inspired by the Green Science Policy Institute’s 2021 “Building a Better World” report, we are tailoring the insights specifically for Denmark’s construction sector. We’re undertaking the collaborative research project PFAS in Construction to investigate the presence of these persistent substances within our local industry, and to identify possible alternative products. Extended thanks to our funding sponsors Realdania and Grundejernes Investeringsfond - GI - (The Landowners' Investment Foundation).

The degree of contamination and concern

The pressing concern is that once certain of these substances enter the environment, they can remain for long periods of time and have been detected in ecosystems, animals, and even in the human body.   

“The unique characteristics of PFAS, including heat stability, water- and grease- resistance, as well as a resistance to decay, have given PFAS treated surfaces desirable qualities for the built environment. However, a paper published by scientists at Stockholm University deems the current status of PFAS in the environment to have breached planetary boundaries.⁴ The concern among some scientists and the increasing regulatory focus demonstrate the need to consider alternative solutions,” says Martha Lewis, Head of Materials. 

Certain PFAS have raised awareness because of their association with a range of health problems, including cancer, liver damage, immune system issues, and hormonal disruptions, to name a few. Notably, traces of PFAS have been detected in people’s blood and the brain, demonstrating that exposures are occurring and have potential for adverse impact on our bodies.^{5 6}

While much attention has been given to the existence of PFAS in consumer products, food, sewage waste, and pesticides, their presence in building materials, and the spaces we occupy, has received less attention.  

PFAS can be present in furniture, carpeting, insulation, heat pumps, and cooling units, emphasizing their use in the building sector. They can also be found in construction-related industries such as electronics, coatings and paints, plastics and rubber, and metal product manufacturing.^{7 8}

With so-called ‘forever chemicals’ existing in some building products and processes, the construction industry holds a pivotal responsibility in limiting their use consistent with the PFAS Action Plan. Now is the time for manufacturers, architects and builders to confront the issue head-on.  

 Complex regulatory process and forward-thinking consultants 

With regulations on PFAS advancing slowly in the European Union, we’re left with an unclear path forward to address the pressing issue.  

In anticipation of future restrictions, the industry can take accountability by proactively investigating the presence of PFAS in construction products and identifying possible alternatives— playing a key role in shaping a healthier, safer future. Strengthening the identification of the use of these materials in the construction industry is an essential first step in ensuring the protection of human, ecological, and environmental health.

“Given that the vast majority of PFAS are not yet regulated, or even registered, we are at a critical moment to provide deeper insight, alongside alternatives for consultants spec’ing products for new construction” says Martha Lewis, Head of Materials. 

Through our research efforts, we continue to unpack unresolved questions as the means to facilitate safer management of the chemicals in our construction products. Greater transparency can drive the demand for safe, sustainable solutions.

Sources

¹  PFAS Structures in DSSTox (US EPA, 2022)

² Agreement on a National Action Plan for PFAS (Danish Parliament, 2024)

³ Agreement on a National Action Plan for PFAS (Danish Parliament, 2024)

⁴ Cousins, I. T., Johansson, J. H., Salter, M. E., Sha, B., & Scheringer, M. (2022). Outside the safe operating space of a new planetary boundary for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Environmental Science & Technology, 56(16), 11172–11179.

⁵ Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC). (2021). PFAS Technical and Regulatory Guidance Document and Fact Sheets PFAS-1. Washington, D.C.: Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council, PFAS Team.

⁶ Brown-Leung JM, Cannon JR. Neurotransmission Targets of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Neurotoxicity: Mechanisms and Potential Implications for Adverse Neurological Outcomes. Chem Res Toxicol. 2022 Aug 15;35(8):1312-1333.

⁷ Bečanová, J., Melymuk, L., Vojta, Š., Komprdová, K., & Klánová, J. (2016). Screening for perfluoroalkyl acids in consumer products, building materials and wastes. Chemosphere, 164, 322–329.

⁸ Janousek, R. M., Lebertz, S., & Knepper, T. P. (2019). Previously unidentified sources of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances from building materials and industrial fabrics. Environmental Science Processes & Impacts, 21(11), 1936–1945.