The commercial fluorotelomer-based products manufactured by FluoroCouncil members are known as short-chain polyfluoroalkyl acrylic polymers or methacrylate polymers. These polymers are used to treat fabrics to make them water and stain resistant and for numerous other applications. In general, polymers are large compounds comprised of many repeating molecular units. In the case of the (meth)acrylate polymer, the repeating unit is a (meth)acrylate containing a six-carbon fluorinated chain, and these polymers are said to be based on 6:2 fluorotelomer chemistry. Due to their large molecular size, (meth)acrylate polymers do not readily vaporize to form gases.
Methacrylate Polymer
Environmental Fate Assessment
Scientific studies indicate that fluorotelomer polymers do not easily break down under normal environmental conditions and are persistent in the environment.
- Due to their large molecular size, (meth)acrylate polymers are considered too large to cross biological membranes. As a result, these compounds are unlikely to bioaccumulate or become concentrated inside the bodies of living organisms.
- (Meth)acrylate polymers do not typically vaporize to form gases that may be transported long distances in the atmosphere. Additionally, these polymers do not dissolve in water and are not expected to be transported long distances in oceans or other water bodies. As a result, methacrylate polymers are unlikely to be subject to long-range environmental transport.
Human and Environmental Health Hazard Assessment
- The (meth)acrylate polymer molecules are too large to cross biological barriers and therefore are not bioavailable to cause toxicity. As a result, these polymers do not meet international criteria for ecotoxicity or toxicity to human health.
Conclusions
International criteria define chemicals of concern as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). A POP is a substance that is resistant to environmental degradation, tends to bioaccumulate in living organisms, and has potentially significant adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Although the (meth)acrylate polymer is likely to be persistent in the environment, based on its environmental fate and toxicity (information current as of December 2016), it does not meet other criteria for a POP.
References
- ENVIRON, Assessment of POP Criteria for Specific Short-Chain Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances, Jan. 2014.
- Ramboll ENVIRON, Assessment of POP Criteria for Specific Short-Chain Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances, Dec. 2016.
- Boethling RS and Nabholz JV. 1997. Environmental Assessment of Polymers under the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act. In: Ecological Assessment of Polymers Strategies for Product Stewardship and Regulatory Programs, eds. Hamilton JD and Sutcliffe R, 187-234. Van Nostrand Reinhld.
- Prevedouros K, Cousins IT, Buck RC, and Korzeniowski SH. 2006. Sources, fate and transport of perfluorocarboxylates. Environ Sci Technol 40:32-44.
- Rankin K, Lee H, Tseng PJ and Mabury SA. 2014. Investigating the biodegradability of a fluorotelomer-based acrylate polymer in a soil-plant microcosm by indirect and direct analysis, 48(21): 12783–12790.
- Russell MH, Berti WR, Szostek B, and Buck RC. 2008. Investigation of the biodegradation potential of a fluoroacrylate polymer product in aerobic soils. Environ Sci Technol 42:800-807.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). 2010. Interpretive Assistance Document for Assessment of Polymers: Sustainable Futures Summary Assessment.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). 2010. Interpretive Assistance Document for Assessment of Polymers: Sustainable Futures Summary Assessment.
- Washington JW and Jenkins TM. 2015. Abiotic Hydrolysis of Fluorotelomer-Based Polymers as a Source of Perfluorocarboxylates at the Global Scale. Environmental Science and Technology, 49(24): 14129–14135.
- Washington JW, Ellington J, Jenkins TM, Evans JJ, Yoo H, and Hafner SC. 2009. Degradability of an acrylate-linked, fluorotelomer polymer in soil. Environ Sci Technol 43:6617-6623.
- Washington JW, Jenkins TM, Rankin K and Naile JE. 2015. Decades-scale degradation of commercial, side-chain, fluorotelomer-based polymers in soils and water. Environmental Science and Technology, 49(2): 915–923.