PFAS Phaseouts Pose National Security Risk, Pentagon Says
In a new report to Congress, the Defense Department (DOD) is warning that mounting regulatory pressure on PFAS and a “dwindling number of domestic PFAS manufacturers” pose a growing threat to national security.
“An increasing number of mission critical PFAS and PFAS-enabled products are at risk for obsolescence due to market phase outs; manufacturer liability; complex geopolitical escalation dynamics; and regulatory complexity, uncertainty, and inconsistency,” the July 17 report states.
“The rate of obsolescence of existing chemicals is outpacing the defense sectors and other private industries’ abilities to research, develop, test, evaluate, and adopt new chemical technologies, resulting in disruption to existing capabilities and/or sourcing from foreign entities of concern,” it adds.
The report sets out a strategy for DOD to invest in the development of PFAS alternatives, which will begin with the prioritization of critical uses. The department will simultaneously engage with regulators and industry to ensure the “continued domestic availability of PFAS critical for defense over the next 10 years or longer.” According the report, phasing out PFAS from materials like semiconductors could take as long as 25 years.
DOD also argues against the use of “broad” structure-based definitions of PFAS, which “do not inform whether a substance is harmful.” A risk-based approach incorporating “chemical/physical properties and exposure properties should be considered,” the report states.
Congress requested the report in the FY 2024 defense appropriations bill. It builds on an earlier 2023 report which focused on the five sectors with “supply chain vulnerabilities posing the most pressing threats to national security”: kinetic capabilities, energy storage and batteries, microelectronics and semiconductors, castings and forgings, and strategic and critical minerals.