UNEP/POPS/POPRC.11/INF/9

UNITED
NATIONS / / SC
UNEP/POPS/POPRC.11/INF/9
/

Stockholm Conventionon Persistent OrganicPollutants

/ Distr.: General
2 September 2015
English only

Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee
Eleventh meeting

Rome, 19–23 October 2015

Item 5 (c) of the provisional agenda[*]

Technical work: consideration of a proposal for the inclusion of pentadecafluorooctanoic acid(CAS No: 335-67-1, PFOA, perfluorooctanoic acid),its salts and PFOA-related compounds in Annexes A, B and/or C to the Convention

Verification of whether the proposal to list pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (CAS No: 335-67-1, PFOA, perfluorooctanoic acid), its salts and PFOA-related compounds in Annexes A, B and/or C to the Convention contain the information specified in Annex D to the Convention

Note by the Secretariat

  1. Paragraph 2 of Article 8 of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants reads as follows:

The Secretariat shall verify whether the proposal contains the information specified in Annex D. If the Secretariat is satisfied that the proposal contains the information so specified, it shall forward the proposal to the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee.

  1. The process by which the Secretariat verifies whether a proposal contains the information specified in Annex D to the Convention is set outin the note on the verification process prepared by the Secretariat for the Committee’s first meeting, in 2005 (UNEP/POPS/POPRC.1/INF/4). It is important to note that the verification process is not an evaluation of the rigour or strength of the scientific information provided.
  2. The Secretariat has examined the proposalto list pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), PFOA salts and PFOA-related substances that can be degraded to PFOA under environmental conditions (PFOA compounds) in Annexes A, B and/or C to the Convention (UNEP/POPS/POPRC.11/5) and has prepared its verification reports, including conclusions as to whether the proposals as submitted provide the information specified in Annex D.
  3. The present note, including the verification report as set out in its annex, has not been formally edited.

Annex

Verification of whether the proposals to list pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (CAS No: 335-67-1, PFOA, perfluorooctanoic acid), its salts and PFOA-related compoundsin Annexes A, B and/or C to the Convention contain the information specified in Annex D to the Convention

1.Information specified in paragraph 1 of Annex D

1(a). Chemical identity / (i) Names, CAS number, etc… / The IUPAC chemical name, CAS name, trade names and synonyms together with the CAS registry number are provided for pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
(ii) Structure, isomers, etc… / The molecular formula and structural formula of PFOA, its salts and PFOA-related substances are provided.
1(b). Persistence / (i) Evidence of half-life greater than… or / The proposal reports that PFOA is hydrolytically stable with estimated hydrolytic half-life greater than 97 years. Due to its high persistence, no environmental half-lives are available.
(ii) Evidence it is otherwise sufficiently persistent… / The results of various degradation tests and field monitoring data show that PFOA does not undergo any further abiotic or biotic degradation under relevant environmental conditions.
1(c). Bio-accumulation / (i) Evidence of BCF/BAF greater than… or / The proposal states that no measured log Kow are reported for PFOA. BCF and BAF values in aquatic species are below 5000. PFOA exhibits high water solubility (4-10 g/L).
(ii) Evidence of other reasons for concern… or / The proposal reports that high tissue concentrations of PFOA have been measured in terrestrial mammals. It also indicates that PFOA is found in human blood in the general population.
(iii) Monitoring data indicating bioaccumulation potential… / Based on evidence form studies, the proposal reports that PFOA can be considered to accumulate and biomagnify in terrestrial and marine mammals and that it accumulates in humans based on long elimination half-lives in blood.
1(d). Potential for long-range environmental transport / (i) Measured levels of concern in distant locations… or / The proposal reports several studies in which PFOA is detected in sediment, water and soil in the Arctic and in various organisms including fish and mammals in the Arctic.
(ii) Monitoring data showing transfer may have occurred… or / The reports states that detected concentrations of PFOA in remote regions of the Arctic cap indicate the potential for long-range transport via ocean currents and/or atmospheric transport.
(iii) Environmental fate properties/models demonstrating the potential for transport…. / Multimedia models predict global distribution of PFOA. The wide occurrence of PFOA and PFOA-related substances in remote areas show evidence of long-range transport.
1(e). Adverse effects / (i) Evidence of adverse effects… or / The proposal reports potential for PFOA to affect endocrine function where visible effects may not be apparent until organisms reach adulthood. Field results reveal that there may be increases in indicators of inflammation and immunity in bottlenose dolphin blood parameters in relation to PFOA, suggesting that PFOA may alter biomarkers of health in marine mammals. The proposal notes that the risk of immune effects for humans and wildlife exposed to PFOA cannot be discounted, especially when bioaccumulation and exposure to multiple perfluorinated compounds are considered. Evidence is provided that exposure to PFOA causes damage to the liver in several studies and species through prolonged or repeated exposure.
(ii) Toxicity or ecotoxicity data that indicate potential for damage… / The proposal notes that there is evidence on developmental toxicity from perinatal studies in mice exposed to PFOA salts, including APFO. Cohort studies conclude that higher concentrations of serum PFOA are associated with current thyroid disease in the general adult population. Developmental exposure to PFOA adversely affects human health based on evidence of decreased fetal growth in both human and non-human mammalian species.

2. Statement of concern

The proposal provides a statement of the reasons for concern, including indication of the need for global control based on its persistence, bioaccumulation, long-range transport and adverse effects, its occurrence and distribution.

3. Additional information

Chapter 1 indicates that the proposal is based on existing risk assessment reports prepared by the OECD, the EU and Canada. Additional information on global consumption and use and national and international administrative actions is provided in chapters 3 and 4, respectively. References are listed in section 7.

4.Secretariat’s evaluation

The proposal identifies the chemical as required under Annex D 1 (a) and provides information on the chemical relating to the screening criteria set out in Annex D 1 (b-e). It includes a statement of the reasons for concern and the need for global control. The Secretariat is satisfied that the proposal contains the information specified in Annex D.

1

[*] UNEP/POPS/POPRC.11/1.