Summary
The fourteenth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-14) to the Stockholm Convention on POPs opened on Monday, 17 September 2018, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy.
POPRC-14 began its technical work on three polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS):
- perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), its salts, and related compounds
- perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts, and related compounds
- the process for evaluation of perfluooroctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts, and related compounds, pursuant to paragraphs 5 and 6 of part III of Annex B to the Convention, which requires parties to review the continued need for listed substances for various acceptable purposes and specific exemptions.
PFHxS and PFOA are industrial surfactants used in a wide variety of applications, including fire-fighting foams. A panel of experts shared information on the use of PFOA in fire-fighting foams from suppliers, users, and regulators perspective, with an additional perspective from a civil society representative on fluorine-free fire-fighting foams.PFOS has already been listed in the Stockholm Convention, but with specific exemptions for continued production and use in some products and processes. At POPRC-14, Committee members will discuss whether there is continued need for these exemptions, with the aim of making a recommendation to the COP.POPRC-14 agreed to establish a contact group to continue work on PFHxS; the group met on Monday afternoon and evening and was scheduled to meet again on Tuesday morning.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, is providing daily web coverage from POPRC-14. In addition, IISD Reporting Services will publish a summary and analysis report from the meeting on Monday, 24 September 2018.
