Fire and Safety Solutions Ltd (FASS) are proud members of the British Fire Consortium (BFC) and as such we are committed to keeping the fire safety industry informed about evolving legislation and best practice. A key area of concern in recent years has been the regulation of PFAS – Per- and polyfluorinated substances – often referred to as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment.

There remains considerable confusion and misinformation surrounding PFAS, particularly regarding their classification, toxicity, and restrictions. In an effort to clarify the situation, FASS is sharing the following detailed update to distinguish between current and upcoming legislation affecting the use and disposal of PFAS materials in the fire protection sector.

Below is the full statement provided by the BFC:

Update on PFAS Restriction. July 2025 

There is a great deal of misinformation and misunderstanding in the industry regarding issues related to PFAS ( Per & poly fluorinated substances). PFAS restrictions are best detailed in two parts. (1) Current legislation and timelines and (2) proposed legislation and timelines. PFAS should be considered as an entire group of Per & poly fluorinated substances consisting of as many as 10,000 different variants of molecule structures. Some are highly toxic whilst others are non-toxic, but all would be best described as ‘Forever Chemicals’. Legislation over the past 20 years has been introduced to limit the use of POP’s (Persistent Organic Pollutants) and has been targeted on the more toxic PFAS molecules. 

Part 1: C8 

This part relates to PFAS molecules known as C8 fluorosurfactants, and include the following molecules:- PFOA – Perfluorooctanoic acid, PFOS – Perfluorooctane sulfonate and PFHxS – Perfluorohexanesulphonic acid. 

Legislation to restrict the use of C8 materials has been in place for many years. PFOS and PFHxS where first dealt with by legislation published since 2006 (Directive 76/769/EEC 12.12.2006). Legislation to restrict the use of PFOA was first published in 2017 (EU 2017/1000 dated 13.06.2017). The final date to have PFOA – C8 materials removed from use and incinerated was the 4th July 2025. However, there have been significant difficulties experienced in the disposing of this type of material due to a limited capacity to incinerate C8 foam concentrates. In view of these difficulties, the final date for removal from use has been extended to 3rd December 2025. This provision will not be extended any further. 

It is highly unlikely that foam concentrates manufactured in Europe or the USA since 2015 will contain PFOA. This is because of a ‘Stewardship Program’ introduced in 2010 to force fluoro surfactant manufacturers to remove all C8 (PFOA) molecules from their products by 2015. Whilst C8 foam concentrates containing PFOA were being stored and used by end users industries such as the petrochemical, aviation, shipping and chemical producing businesses and other users such as Fire and Rescue Services, it is highly unlikely that hand portable extinguishers would contain foams formulated with C8 fluoro surfactants. This is because hand portable extinguishers are functionally discharged or replaced on a 5-year cycle. 

Part 2: C6 

This part relates to PFAS molecules known as C6 fluorosurfactants, and includes the following molecule:- PFHxA – Perfluorohexanoic acid. 

Legislation to restrict the use of C6 materials in firefighting foam concentrates is due to be published before the end of 2025. (EU 2024/2462) Once published, there will be a list of degradation periods for each industry to eliminate the use of these types of foams between 2025 and 2035. 

There are literally thousands of tonnes of C6 foam concentrates in the UK market today and they will need to be disposed of in the same way as C8, via incineration. The expected degradation periods for various industries are listed below and based on draft proposals of the expected legislation on PFHxA (C6 foams). 

• Fire and Rescue Services – 18 months

• Fire extinguisher and systems – 5 years

• Aviation – 10 years

• Shipping – 10 years

• Petrochemical/Chemical – 10 year