Germany
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Key Link
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Overview of Risk Reduction Approaches
Germany addresses chemical risk management mainly through EU regulations and is engaging in dialogues with stakeholders to exchange information and signal to industry concerns related to PFASs and to convey information to the public. Germany developed threshold and guide values to limit the amount of PFCAs and PFSAs in drinking water and sludge and developed a background document Do without per-and polyfluorinated chemicals and prevent their discharge into the environment. In addition, the German Federal Environment Agency published an issue of the “What Matters” magazine which is dedicated to inform the general public about PFASs (see magazine).
The German Human Biomonitoring commission has decided to set HBM I values for PFOA and PFOS in blood plasma of 2 ng PFOA/ml and 5 ng PFOS/ml based on literature review (see report). The HBM I value represents the concentration of a substance in a body matrix below which, according to the Commission’s current assessment, adverse health effects are not expected and therefore, no exposure reduction measures are necessary. The Federal States of Germany proposed limit values for groundwater for several PFAS. The German Federal Environment Agency has been looking at PFAS in drinking water and has thereby derived drinking water guide values or health orientation values for certain PFASs (see report). The report is currently being revised and an updated version is expected for 2023/2024. As a supplement to the report the German Federal Environment Agency published in 2019 an opinion on a temporary action value for PFOA and PFOS (see Opinion). In summer 2023, the amended federal soil protection regulation (Bundesbodenschutzverordnung) will be enacted which sets PFAS limit-values for the pathway soil-groundwater.
Germany, together with Norway & Sweden nominated several PFAS to be identified as substances of very high concern (SVHC) within the EU (see table below). Furthermore, Germany proposed to restrict the manufacture or placing on the market of undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and related substances within the EU (see restriction proposal). Finally, Germany is part of the group of five countries which proposed to restrict the manufacture, placing on the market and use of all PFASs within the EU (see restriction proposal).
Table with Key Elements of Risk Reduction Approaches
Action | Path taken | BEPs Implemented | Category of PFASss addressed | Articles covered? | Life cycle stage(s) addressed | Method of approach | Public- private partnership encouraged? | Level of constraint | |
Dialogue with stakeholders to exchange information and convey concern re PFASs, and provide information to public Link to Do without perfluorinated chemicals and prevent their discharge into the environment (2009) |
Increase awareness for industry and public | No information available | All PFASs | Yes | Whole life cycle | Dialogue | Yes | None | |
Threshold and guide values for different media, e.g. drinking water and sludge | Manage exposure | Water management, off-gas and solid waste management | Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic and Sulfonic acids | No | Product use; Product disposal | Regulatory | No |
Water treatment measures Monitoring |
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HBM-1 values |
Limit exposure, awareness rising | PFOA and PFOS | No | Analysis |
No |
None | |||
Limit values for groundwater | Limit exposure | No | Short and long-chain PFAS | No | No | Analysis | No |
None |
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Nomination as SVHC |
Limit exposure, awareness raising | Not applicable |
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Yes | Whole life cycle | Regulatory |
No |
Substances on candidate-list: information requirements
Substances in Annex XIV (REACH): only authorized uses allowed |
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Restriction of manufacture and placing on the market (decided) | Limit exposure |
Not applicable |
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Yes | Whole life cycle | Regulatory | No |
Restriction with derogations |
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Restriction of manufacture and placing on the market (proposal, decision pending) |
Limit exposure | Not applicable |
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Yes | Whole life cycle | Regulatory |
No |
Restriction with potential derogations (depending on outcome) |
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