Spotlight on PFAS

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a class of thousands of chemicals that have been widely used for decades across a range of industries due to their properties, from fire and chemical resistance to high-performance dielectric capabilities. 

Now, their use is raising increasing environmental and safety concerns. They are commonly named ‘Forever Chemicals’ because of their persistence in the environment and their bioaccumulative properties, while their potential adverse health effects are yet to be fully understood. 

Industries and governments have started working to control or replace PFAS to meet their environmental and health responsibilities, and their use is coming under increasing scrutiny and regulation. 

This has significant implications for the aerospace industry, where PFAS are used across a range of applications and products. This blog explores these implications, considers how materials technology providers are responding.

Concerns over the impact of PFAS use has led several countries and regions to propose or implement regulations and guidelines that indirectly impact PFAS use in aerospace, typically focusing on environmental protection, public health, and the management of hazardous chemicals. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been active in regulating PFAS, for example issuing health advisories for certain PFAS in drinking water and proposing rules to address PFAS contamination in the environment. The U.S. Department of Defense has been phasing out the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams on military installations. 

In the European Union, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has identified PFAS as substances of very high concern (SVHC). Regulations such as the REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) and the POPs Regulation (Persistent Organic Pollutants) indirectly affect the use of PFAS in aerospace by imposing restrictions and authorization requirements on their manufacture, use, and importation.

Canada has put in place the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), enabling the government to take regulatory actions to manage and reduce exposure to PFAS. 

The Australian government has been developing guidelines and regulations to address PFAS contamination, particularly in areas near airports and defense sites where firefighting foams containing PFAS have been used. 

While there isn't a single global regulation specifically targeting PFAS in the aerospace industry, the regulation of PFAS is evolving, and aerospace companies are increasingly subject to environmental regulations and standards that address the use and management of hazardous chemicals, including PFAS.

This regulatory focus is leading aerospace companies to proactively seek alternatives to PFAS-containing products, and to take measures that minimize PFAS emissions and environmental impact.

Reformulating products to remove or minimize PFAS content is one way to address the environmental and safety concerns, but it carries the cost and time overheads of reformulation, testing and regulatory approval. 

Henkel has a well-established and widely proven select portfolio of structural adhesives in film and paste forms for the aerospace industry that are formulated without PFAS ingredients, including:

• Structural paste adhesives with good environmental resistance, non-sag and high shear and peel strength, with low or room temperature curing, easy mixing and application.
• Film adhesives with good toughness and excellent durability that facilitate bonding of a wide range of materials. 
• Adhesives for metal and honeycomb bonding with the high strength, durability, temperature resistance and thermal capabilities that many aerospace uses demand. The range includes an adhesive with good gap filling properties for potting applications.  
• An epoxy-based composite surfacing film designed to improve the surface quality of honeycomb stiffened composite parts. The product is manufactured with a non-woven fabric for support.

In anticipation of future government regulations, as well as customer needs, the aerospace industry is actively seeking to reduce or replace products currently used across its supply chain containing PFAS. 

Henkel aerospace structural adhesives are ready to take flight with a select portfolio formulated without PFAS ingredients to meet major OEM specifications. Contact our team to request a sample and explore our LOCTITE^® EA structural adhesives key product line.