Issue 11, 2020

Levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in ski wax products on the market in 2019 indicate no changes in formulation

Abstract

In the summer of 2019, eleven of the best-selling fluorinated ski wax products were purchased from one of Norway's largest sports stores and soon after analysed for a suite of 26 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The waxes were shown to contain a wide range of perfluoroalkyl acids, including perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids with up to 25 carbons. Of particular concern was the finding that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) levels in nine of the eleven ski lubrication products analysed were above the EU limit values of 25 ng g−1, which came into force on 4th July 2020. The ski wax with the highest PFOA levels had a concentration that was 1215 times higher than the EU restrictions. Although some of the ski wax manufacturers have indicated that they have switched to formulations that contain chemistries based on shorter perfluoroalkyl chains, the analytical results show that this is not the case.

Graphical abstract: Levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in ski wax products on the market in 2019 indicate no changes in formulation

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
19 Aug 2020
Accepted
23 Sep 2020
First published
24 Sep 2020
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2020,22, 2142-2146

Levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in ski wax products on the market in 2019 indicate no changes in formulation

S. Fang, M. M. Plassmann and I. T. Cousins, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2020, 22, 2142 DOI: 10.1039/D0EM00357C

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