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Germany

 

 Germany

Key Link

Overview of Risk Reduction Approaches

Germany addresses chemical risk management mainly through EU regulations and is engaging in dialogues with stakeholders to exchange information and signal to industry concerns related to PFASs and to convey information to the public. Germany developed threshold and guide values to limit the amount of PFCAs and PFSAs in drinking water and sludge and developed a background document Do without per-and polyfluorinated chemicals and prevent their discharge into the environment. In addition, the German Federal Environment Agency published an issue of the “What Matters” magazine which is dedicated to inform the general public about PFASs (see magazine).

The German Human Biomonitoring commission has decided to set HBM I values for PFOA and PFOS in blood plasma of 2 ng PFOA/ml and 5 ng PFOS/ml based on literature review (see report). The HBM I value represents the concentration of a substance in a body matrix below which, according to the Commission’s current assessment, adverse health effects are not expected and therefore, no exposure reduction measures are necessary. The Federal States of Germany proposed limit values for groundwater for several PFAS. The German Federal Environment Agency has been looking at PFAS in drinking water and has thereby derived drinking water guide values ​​or health orientation values ​​for certain PFASs (see report). The report is currently being revised and an updated version is expected for 2023/2024. As a supplement to the report the German Federal Environment Agency published in 2019 an opinion on a temporary action value for PFOA and PFOS (see Opinion). In summer 2023, the amended federal soil protection regulation (Bundesbodenschutzverordnung) will be enacted which sets PFAS limit-values for the pathway soil-groundwater.

Germany, together with Norway & Sweden nominated several PFAS to be identified as substances of very high concern (SVHC) within the EU (see table below). Furthermore, Germany proposed to restrict the manufacture or placing on the market of undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and related substances within the EU (see restriction proposal). Finally, Germany is part of the group of five countries which proposed to restrict the manufacture, placing on the market and use of all PFASs within the EU (see restriction proposal).

 

Table with Key Elements of Risk Reduction Approaches

Action Path taken BEPs Implemented Category of PFASss addressed Articles covered? Life cycle stage(s) addressed Method of approach Public- private partnership encouraged? Level of constraint

Dialogue with stakeholders to exchange information and convey concern re PFASs, and provide information to public

Link to Do without perfluorinated chemicals and prevent their discharge into the environment (2009)

Link to What Matters 1-2020: PFAS. Come to stay (2020))

Increase awareness for industry and public  No information available  All PFASs   Yes  Whole life cycle  Dialogue  Yes  None
Threshold and guide values for different media, e.g. drinking water and sludge Manage exposure Water management, off-gas and solid waste management Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic and Sulfonic acids No Product use; Product disposal Regulatory No

Water treatment measures

Monitoring

HBM-1 values

Limit exposure, awareness rising   PFOA and PFOS   No    Analysis

No

 None
Limit values for groundwater Limit exposure No Short and long-chain PFAS No No Analysis No

None

Nomination as SVHC

Limit exposure, awareness raising Not applicable 

C11-C14 PFCAs (GER, 2012)

C8-PFCA (GER & NOR, 2013)

C9PFCA (GER & SWE, 2015)

C10PFCA (GER & SWE, 2016)

 
 Yes Whole life cycle   Regulatory

No

 Substances on candidate-list: information requirements

Substances in Annex XIV (REACH): only authorized uses allowed

Restriction of manufacture and placing on the market (decided) Limit exposure

Not applicable

PFOA its salts and related substances (GER & NOR, 2017)

C9-C14 PFCAs their salts and related substances (GER & SWE, 2021)
Yes Whole life cycle Regulatory No

Restriction with derogations

Restriction of manufacture and placing on the market (proposal, decision pending)

Limit exposure Not applicable

PFHxA, its salts and related substances (2019)

All PFASs (GER, NL, NOR, SWE, DK, 2023)
 
Yes Whole life cycle   Regulatory

No

Restriction with potential derogations (depending on outcome)

 

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