PPE TIME FOR CHANGE
PFAS have been protecting workforces with high performance PPE for decades – but at what cost? Rob Piazza from phs Besafe, looks at the dark and dangerous side of these ‘forever chemicals’.
Poly and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of man-made chemicals that offer excellent liquid and flame-retardant qualities for PPE garments, amongst many other things. Often manufactured into the fabric of a PPE garment or used as a finish or impregnation to repel stains, water and chemicals, they are considered lifesavers in the workplace. But there is a catch – these chemicals will never breakdown.
PFAS chemicals last forever, and they have already accumulated on land, in water and in our food in huge quantities, causing damage to the planet and people. They accumulate inside our bodies and are known to cause serious health problems, including cancer, infertility, immune problems and high cholesterol.
The problem is so prevalent that it is thought that nearly every person on the planet now has traces of PFAS in their body.
Despite this, PFAS are not subject to many UK restrictions. Legislation is lagging behind the rest of Europe and the US and just two of the 4,700 PFAS chemicals are regulated in the UK, although a report from the Health & Safety Executive in 2023 did recommend limiting the use of PFAS in textiles.
The textile industry accounts for up to half of the total use of PFAS globally. As one of the UK’s leading suppliers of specialist PPE workwear and commercial laundry solutions, phs Besafe has made the commitment to ban or restrict PFAS from our services wherever alternatives are available. And we want others to follow.
We have been working with Ecolab, a global sustainability leader, for the last six years to ensure phs Besafe has PFAS- free laundry treatments for all specialist workwear.
http://www.ecolab.com/
https://www.tranemoworkwear.co.uk/ 22
We also have a partnership with manufacturer Tranemo Advanced Workwear to ensure that we can supply
our customers with a range of high-quality, PFAS-free workwear garments wherever a PFAS-free alternative is available.
Tranemo UK launched the world’s first alternative to PFAS in technical workwear two years ago, after five years of research and development. Six of its ranges are already PFAS free and it aims to be entirely PFAS free by the end of 2025 as it continues to develop PFAS alternatives for chemical splash workwear, which currently do not exist anywhere in the world.
We know that there are high performing alternatives to PFAS – so why aren’t more manufacturers using them? The sad truth is that the PPE industry wants to make garments fast and cheap and PFAS are low cost and easily available. Little thought is given to the long-term effects on people’s health or the planet in a market driven by price.
We are still waiting for the UK to have its PFAS epiphany. We need a culture shift, where value is placed on doing the right thing.
When choosing their PPE, businesses must look at the whole supply chain and find out how garments are being made. It is their responsibility to their workforce and their environment. They need to ask whether that kind of manufacturing is acceptable and put pressure on manufacturers to make change.
The industry and the government also need to take responsibility and direct funding into finding more sustainable alternatives to PFAS in PPE. Only then can real and sustained change begin.
www.phsbesafe.co.uk WWW.TOMORROWSHS.COM
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