PoP: EU Adopts Stricter Limits for PFOS

On June 27, 2025, the European Commission adopted stricter restrictions on the persistent organic pollutant (POP) perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and its related compounds.
Previously, under Regulation (EU) 2019/1021, Annex I contained two different "unintentional trace contaminant" limits for PFOS in articles, which created a fragmented system:

• A limit of 0.1% by weight applied to semi-finished products and parts.
• A separate limit of 1 µg/m² applied specifically to textiles and other coated materials.

The new amendment fundamentally changes this approach. It removes the separate 1 µg/m² limit for coated materials and establishes a single, much lower threshold for all substances, mixtures, and articles.

The new regulation sets the following limits for "Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and PFOS-related compounds":

• The maximum concentration for PFOS and its salts is set at 0.025 mg/kg (0.0000025% by weight).
• The maximum concentration for the sum of all PFOS-related compounds is set at 1 mg/kg (0.0001% by weight).