Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a category of thousands of chemicals that are widely used in manufacturing and consumer products. PFAS are used in a wide range of products across almost every industrial sector to add water, stain, and oil repellency, chemical and temperature resistance, friction reduction, and surfactant properties. This class of chemicals is often described as “forever chemicals” because they never fully break down in the environment. PFAS have been detected in drinking water, and affect the endocrine and metabolic system, including the liver and thyroid.
On December 7, 2021, the TURA Administrative Council finalized the vote to add certain Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances Not Otherwise Listed (PFAS NOL) to the TURA List of Toxic or Hazardous Substances. Read the news release.
PFAS Tracking Resources for Companies
View this web page to find resources that will help you identify and track uses of Certain PFAS Not Otherwise Listed (PFAS NOL)" category.
More Information About PFAS
In August 2021, MassDEP issued an advisory for firefighting Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) containing PFAS.
Below are resources prepared by the TURA program and links to resources from federal, state, and other sources. View our Science Advisory Board (SAB) page to learn more about the TURA SAB’s review of scientific data on PFAS.
Information prepared by the TURA Program
| Content Category | Publication Type | Title | Year | Description |
| Presentation | Webinar recording, slide deck and Q&A | Reporting TURA Certain PFAS NOL | 2023 | Heather Tenney, TURI, discusses this new category and offers guidance on how to determine if you are using products containing PFAS and how to estimate those uses. |
| Presentation | Slide deck | Identifying PFAS Reporting and Planning Obligations | 2022 | John Raschko, MA OTA presentation at spring 2022 TUR conference |
| Guidance | Guidance Doc | Guidance for Reporting PFAS under TURA | 2022 | This guidance is to assist MA companies who may need to report annually on their use of individually listed PFAS and the certain PFAS not otherwise listed (NOL) category. |
| Policy | Policy Analysis | Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Policy Analysis | 2021 | This document analyzes the implications of adding a substance category, Per- and PolyFluoroalkyl Substances Not Otherwise Listed (PFAS NOL), to the TURA list of Toxic or Hazardous Substances (TURA List). |
| Presentation | Webinar recording and slide deck | PFAS NOL Listing: What You Need to Know: Presentation slide deck (pdf) Recording | 2021 | This presentation/webinar was originally presented at TURI’s Fall 2021 Continuing Education Conference and covers PFAS Not Otherwise Listed (NOL) reporting requirements and how to identify sources of PFAS in your facility. |
| Presentation | Webinar recording and slide decks | PFAS Uses & Alternatives | 2021 | Presentations from Liz Harriman, TURI, and Mike Schade, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Mind the Store Campaign |
| Presentation | Webinar | Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Introduction and Update | 2020 | Briefing presented to MA legislators in July 2020. Includes an overview of PFAS chemicals, including classification into a group, and an introduction to the TURA program’s work on PFAS. |
| Artificial turf | Fact sheet | PFAS in Artificial Turf Carpet | 2020 | This brief fact sheet provides some basic background information on PFAS and on recent testing for these chemicals in artificial turf as reported by nonprofit organizations. |
| Presentation | Webinar | The PFAS Universe | 2019 | TURI and the IC2 (Interstate Chemicals Clearinghouse) co-sponsored a webinar to help inform SAB members and others about the universe of PFAS chemicals, their uses and degradation pathways. |
Information from other sources
| Source | Title | Year | Description |
| EU Chemicals Agency (ECHA) REACH Annex XV | Proposal for a Restriction | 2023 | The proposed restriction aims to address the risks to human health and the environment posed by the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Access full ECHA site here. |
| Green Science Policy Institute | PFAS in Building Materials | 2023 | We collected information on PFAS uses in the built environment from company websites, patents, peer-reviewed literature, and more. |
| OECD | Portal on Per and Polyfluorinated Chemicals | Updated 2022 | This site includes a wide variety of PFAS resources, including a link to OECD’s Global Database of PFAS. |
| Cancer Free Economy | PFAS in Drinking Water: What You Need to Know | 2021 | Fact sheet prepared by Silent Spring Institute and the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production on PFAS in drinking water. |
| Peer-Reviewed Journal | An overview of the uses of per- and poly-fluorinated substances | 2020 | Gluge, et. al. A broad overview of many use categories where PFAS have been employed and for which function, which PFAS have been used and a discussion of the magnitude of the uses. |
| ITRC | PFAS Technical and Regulatory Guidance Document | 2020 | Includes a description of the primary state and U.S. federal programs that are being used to regulate PFAS; summary of current regulatory and guidance values for PFAS in groundwater, drinking water, surface water/effluent, and soil; and information on the basis for differences between various drinking water criteria for PFOA and PFOS. |
| ITRC | Technical resources for addressing environmental released of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) | Updated 2020 | This Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC) online document includes the PFAS Technical and Regulatory Guidance Document, PFAS Fact Sheets and Explainer Videos, Training Module Videos and external tables of data and information prepared by the ITRC PFAS Team. |
| Plastics Industry Association, Fluoropolymers Division | Guide to safer handling of fluoropolymer resins | 2019 | Guide to safer handling of fluoropolymer resins. |
| Safer States | List of state-led PFAS policies in the United States | No Date | List and descriptions of current state policies focused on controlling PFAS use and exposures. |
| Clean Water Fund | PFAS infographic and fact sheet | 2020 | These resources were created by the Clean Water Fund with support from a TURI community grant. |
| FEDERAL | |||
| EPA | Research on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) | Updated 2020 | PFAS Overview page with links to current research, toxicity assessments, and other information. |
| EPA | TRI Reporting and New Requirements for PFAS, Webinar | 2020 | An overview of Toxics Release Inventory reporting, additional guidance resources, and information related to the recent additions of 172 PFAS to the TRI list of chemicals. |
| ATSDR | Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and Your Health | Updated 2020 | Information on human exposure to PFAS is a public health concern |
| ATSDR | Toxics Substances Portal: Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls | 2019 | The ATSDR toxicological profile characterizes the toxicology and adverse health effects information for the toxic substance described therein. Each peer-reviewed profile identifies and reviews the key literature that describes a substance's toxicological properties. |
| STATE | |||
| Minnesota Pollution Control Agency | PFAS in the metal plating and finishing industry | 2022 | An inventory of information about PFAS use, environmental release pathways, and source reduction strategies. |
| Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) | Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) | Updated 2020 | Overview and information specific to Massachusetts, including map of contamination sites. |
| New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) | NH PFAS Investigation | Updated 2020 | This website is used to update interested parties on NHDES’ current investigation into the presence of PFAS in New Hampshire, plus public information and resources |
| California Environmental Contaminant Biomonitoring Program (Biomonitoring California) | Potential Designated Chemicals: Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) | 2015 | Meeting of the Scientific Guidance Panel Biomonitoring California, information to consider recommending the addition of the entire class of PFASs to the list of designated chemicals for Biomonitoring California. |