PFAS – the next Asbestos?

An Attempt to Draw Historical Parallels

Many of our customers ask us: What does the future hold for PTFE and fluoropolymers? With so many stakeholders, politicians, media organizations, lobbyists, companies, and consumer advocacy groups around the world involved in the discussion and seeking to influence its direction, making a precise prediction is virtually impossible.

In my efforts to find an answer to this question, I came across some remarkable parallels between PFAS and asbestos as a material. Once ubiquitous and highly praised, asbestos has now largely disappeared from applications, at least in Europe, and has been almost completely replaced. However, there are several other similarities that I would like to highlight below:

Properties of PFAS and Asbestos

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and asbestos are both groups of materials based on mineral-derived raw materials. Owing to their exceptional properties, including high thermal stability and excellent chemical resistance, they have been, or still are, widely used throughout industry.
While asbestos was once regarded as a “miracle material” but is now largely banned in Europe, PFAS, often referred to as “forever chemicals,” are currently at the center of ongoing discussions and regulatory scrutiny.

Areas of Application

In the past, asbestos was used primarily in the construction industry, for example in roofing and façade products such as fiber cement panels, in fire-resistant insulation materials such as sprayed asbestos for insulating steel structures, and in sealing materials (in some countries, asbestos is still used in up to 90% of all seals). Asbestos was also widely used as a filter medium in the food industry and as an electrical insulating material.

PFAS, on the other hand, are found in countless modern industrial applications in the form of highly stable fluoropolymers (e.g., seals and plain bearings). Fluoropolymer films are also used extensively in the construction industry, for example in solar modules. A prominent example is the use of ETFE in the roof structure of the Allianz Arena. Particularly problematic are the more volatile PFAS compounds used in cosmetics and in the coatings of disposable food packaging for products such as fast food, pizza, and beverages.

Health Risks

The respirable, shorter asbestos fibers can become lodged in the respiratory tract and are hardly degradable by the body’s natural defense mechanisms. This can lead to serious diseases such as bronchial and lung cancer, as well as pleural and diaphragmatic tumors. The latency period is approximately 20 to 40 years, which makes it difficult to establish a clear causal relationship between exposure and resulting health damage. In Germany, significantly more people still die each year from the consequences of asbestos exposure than from fatal workplace accidents.
The hazards associated with fluorinated surfactants have been known since the 1960s. PFAS accumulate both in the global biomass (“forever chemicals”) and in virtually all tissues of the human body, potentially leading to liver damage, thyroid disorders, fertility problems, and cancer. The large number of different PFAS compounds makes risk assessment highly complex; however, experts generally agree that the consequences are substantial and impossible to ignore.

Politics, Bans, and Regulations

Legal bans and regulations concerning asbestos began in the 1960s, with Denmark and Sweden acting as pioneers, followed by Canada. In the United States, asbestos was banned in Texas in 1966 and in California in 1978. Brazil, China, Kazakhstan, and Russia remain among the largest producers of asbestos, although global asbestos consumption has declined to approximately one-third of its peak level as a result of the numerous bans introduced worldwide.
In Germany and Switzerland, environmental authorities first advocated asbestos bans in 1981.

In the area of PFAS, political and regulatory activity has only gradually gained momentum over the past few decades, although legislation continues to vary considerably from country to country. The earliest regulations came into force as early as 1990. The ban on chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and certain fluorinated surfactants at that time is estimated to have prevented a potential global temperature increase of 2.5°C (4.5°F).
In the United States, several class-action lawsuits brought by municipalities, states, and the federal government have resulted in multi-billion-dollar settlements for PFAS-related damages. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has introduced retroactive reporting and recordkeeping requirements for PFAS compounds. Furthermore, under the Biden-Harris Administration, the first national drinking water standard for PFAS was adopted in 2024.
Within the European Union, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has, since last year, been closely reviewing all relevant PFAS substances.

Consumption Volumes

Although demand for asbestos has declined since the bans implemented toward the end of the 20th century, consumption remains significant. PFAS production, on the other hand, has increased steadily in recent years, reaching approximately 300,000 metric tons in 2023, representing a market value of roughly USD 8 billion for manufacturers. These figures highlight the considerable economic importance of PFAS and their widespread use across a broad range of industries.

Companies and Lobbyists

Companies that use critical materials such as asbestos and PFAS typically rely on highly specialized processing technologies and are often heavily dependent on these materials because they have no viable alternatives in their product portfolios. This can lead to significant revenue losses and even threaten the survival of businesses, making lobbying efforts an important factor in the ongoing debate.

In 1978, the asbestos industry established a type of intelligence network aimed at influencing public and scientific opinion and at exerting influence over political decision-making bodies. These activities reportedly delayed the phase-out of asbestos by approximately ten years.

The positions taken by companies vary considerably. For example, the Schmidheiny family withdrew from the asbestos business, and 3M has also decided to exit PFAS production by shutting down all related facilities by the end of 2025 rather than selling them.
The much larger share of the industry, however, continues to advocate the concept of “controlled use” of PFAS, similar to the arguments once made for asbestos, despite the fact that these substances were handled in an uncontrolled manner for many years. Fluoropolymers remain essential components in nearly all major advanced technologies and therefore continue to offer significant growth opportunities. Industry representatives often argue that many modern technologies would no longer be feasible without the use of fluoropolymers.
This position has triggered considerable public criticism and media attention. Companies are frequently accused of ignoring the available evidence and placing profit ahead of public health and environmental concerns.

Labor Unions

Labor unions have played, and continue to play, a significant role in the discussions surrounding both asbestos and PFAS:
Asbestos: Within labor unions worldwide, the issue of occupational health and safety only gradually gained priority over the goal of preserving jobs. This was compounded by misleading information regarding the hazards of asbestos. As a result, the asbestos ban has been, and in some regions still is, a controversial issue on which employee representatives do not always agree. In many cases, asbestos production facilities were and still are located in remote and economically disadvantaged regions, where alternative employment opportunities are virtually nonexistent.

PFAS: Ein ähnliches Beispiel ist das Dyneon-Werk in Gendorf. Dort setzten sich die Mitarbeiter 2022 gegen die Schließung des Werkes ein, obwohl der Landkreis Altötting einer der Regionen in Deutschland ist, wo u.a. die Verseuchung des Grundwassers mit Flourtensiden besorgniserregende Konzentrationen angenommen hat.

Media

The media have played an important role in raising awareness of the hazards associated with both asbestos and PFAS. Individual journalists, scientists, lawyers, and activists have made significant efforts to highlight the environmental and health implications, often at considerable personal risk and in direct conflict with powerful corporations.
A well-known example is attorney Robert Bilott, who spent 20 years fighting for the rights of residents in a community in West Virginia that had been heavily contaminated by fluorinated surfactants. His story was later dramatized in the film “Dark Waters.”

Investors and Analysts

Investors and financial analysts have also begun to recognize the risks associated with PFAS. The potential for enormous liability claims that companies may face in the future has already led to a shift in thinking. The prevailing recommendation is clear: reassess strategies early and pursue a long-term phase-out of PFAS.

Forecasts for PFAS: A Technical Perspective

Although asbestos was considered a miracle material for decades, it has now been successfully replaced in nearly all applications in many countries. Today, hardly anyone argues that they would prefer to have asbestos on their roof or in their brake linings.
Despite the intense debate and the seemingly limitless range of applications for PFAS and fluoropolymers, a similar path may be possible for PFAS in the long term. Numerous manufacturers of functional outdoor apparel, for example, have already demonstrated that water-repellent textiles can be produced without PFAS while maintaining equivalent performance in practical use.
At bock machining, we are pursuing the same objective in the field of seals and plain bearings. To support this effort, we have established a dedicated department focused on the development of PFAS-free materials.

Forecasts for PFAS: Environmental Perspective

The concentration of PFAS in water demonstrates that perceived technological progress and economic interests often continue to take precedence over environmental concerns. PFAS contamination is a global issue, particularly in the vicinity of manufacturing sites, and addressing it will remain a challenge for decades to come.
In terms of scope and complexity, PFAS represent a far greater challenge than asbestos. Production will likely continue for many years, while groundwater, rivers, lakes, oceans, and agricultural land have already become significantly contaminated. The effects on plant growth and biological organisms have only been studied to a limited extent. However, it is highly likely that the resulting environmental damage will ultimately far exceed the economic value generated by PFAS-related business activities.

Forecasts for PFAS: Economic Perspective

The use of fluoropolymers is likely to become more challenging and more expensive in the future. Public, media, and political pressure on companies to operate in an environmentally responsible manner is expected to increase significantly.
Since bock machining made the strategic decision as early as 2022 to gradually transform its product portfolio over the long term, we are already seeing the first positive economic results. We will therefore continue to invest heavily in materials research and the development of PFAS-free alternatives.

Summary / Similarities Between Asbestos and PFAS:

1. Mineral-based materials with outstanding chemical and thermal properties.
2. Very similar fields of application.
3. Key enablers of industrial and technological revolutions, albeit at the expense of human health and the environment.
4. Continued use despite proven and severe health risks caused by inconspicuous, gradual accumulation in living organisms combined with long latency periods; with production and disposal generally posing greater risks than the intended use of the materials themselves.
5. Political regulations and legislation are emerging slowly but steadily.
6. Extremely powerful lobbying efforts significantly hinder the restriction of asbestos and PFAS applications, making their phase-out a process that takes decades. Short-term profits take precedence over health concerns.
7. Job preservation takes priority over occupational safety.
8. Sustainability is gaining importance, but not yet to a sufficient extent.
9. Public awareness efforts are urgently needed to improve understanding of facts and interrelationships and to counter lobbying activities focused on short-term commercial interests.
10. Scientific commitment and entrepreneurial initiative are essential to drive substitution efforts. Since economic power rests with large corporations, they have the ability to fundamentally transform their business models through their development and marketing resources.

Personal opinion:

My Forecast for PFAS is that restrictions will first target short-chain, highly volatile fluorinated compounds used in applications that are in close contact with people, such as food packaging and cosmetics. All other PFAS groups are likely to follow, but a ban on fluoropolymers will take considerably longer, despite the extensive preparatory regulatory efforts already underway. The range of applications is too broad, lobbying efforts are too strong, and their importance for future technologies remains too significant.
We will have to recognize that the incidence of diseases within our society, along with the associated costs, continues to rise. For an increasing number of health conditions, no plausible causes can be identified. However, the growing influence of chemicals in the environment and in the food chain is indisputable.
The cause lies in the way we have lived up to now. Business leaders and their representatives bear a significant responsibility for leaving behind a world worth living in for the next generation. A new definition of progress is needed, and this can only be achieved through fundamental rethinking and meaningful change.

Stefan Bock

Reference: Roselli, Maria: The Asbestos Deception. 1st Edition. Rotpunktverlag. 2007