Global Inventory of Fluoropolymer Production Plants and Their Associated PFAS Environmental Contamination

Fluoropolymers are
widely used across sectors, but their production
is associated with emissions of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl
substances (PFASs), which are mobile, persistent, and toxic. In this
work, we compiled a global inventory of fluoropolymer production plants
(FPPs) and assembled PFAS concentration measurements for various media
in their vicinity. We identified 52 currently operating FPPs across
11 countries and 41 cities. For 12 FPPs, in 12 different cities, there
are peer-reviewed site-specific PFAS measurements specifically attributed
to the FPP. At these 12 sites, at least 236 individual PFASs have
been detected across multiple environmental media, including surface
water, groundwater, air, dust, soils, sediments, plants, animals,
and humans, with reported detections at distances of up to approximately
150 km from FPPs. Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) and perfluoroalkyl
ether carboxylic acids (PFECAs) were most frequently measured, often
at concentrations two to three orders of magnitude higher than those
measured in regions without nearby FPPs. Using high-resolution population
data, we estimate that approximately 14 ± 2 million people (uncertainty
reflecting ± 10 km uncertainty in facility locations) live within
10 km of an FPP. These people are potentially affected by FPP-associated
contamination, with the largest population shares in China (≈52%),
Japan (≈24%), Europe (≈13%), and the United States (≈9%).
These regional proportions largely mirror differences in population
density and the number of identified production facilities. This inventory
reveals the large and complex global scale of PFAS contamination from
fluoropolymer production, underscoring the need for expanded systematic
monitoring and risk management efforts, including regulation.