HOUSTON, July 27, 2023 – Inhance Technologies (Inhance) today expressed its support for the principles called for by Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) and House colleagues in a July 25 letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan regarding the agency’s regulation of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
“Inhance recognizes the critical importance of increased transparency, reliance on sound science, complete evidence, independent experts and a rigorous, comprehensive and peer-reviewed risk assessment in connection with EPA’s evaluation of PFAS,” said Chief Executive Officer Andrew Thompson.
Last year, Inhance submitted Significant New Use Notices (SNUNs) to EPA in connection with its fluorination technology. In accord with Congresswoman McClellan, Inhance agrees that EPA’s review of its SNUNs should: (1) include input from leading PFAS experts across the agency; (2) rely upon a data-driven approach that ensures relevant data and analyses are fully considered by the agency; and (3) transparently assess any risks of potential PFAS exposures.
“This approach will ensure that any measures requested by EPA are driven by sound science,” added Thompson. “We welcome the opportunity to make our quantitative risk assessment, which EPA has acknowledged as robust, thorough and conducted by a highly qualified third-party, available for independent and peer review.”
When Inhance first became aware of the potential for fluorination to unintentionally form miniscule quantities of certain PFAS impurities, the Company researched and developed treatment modifications to reduce these impurities in most instances to undetectable levels in the plastic packaging articles it fluorinates. Overall, Inhance’s treatment modifications have reduced unintentional formation of these impurities by more than 90%.
To the extent any PFAS remains present, independent testing has verified that in treating 25 million pounds of plastic packaging articles annually, Inhance’s fluorination process forms less than 15 grams – equivalent to the weight of a few grapes – of PFAS impurities. That amount represents less than 0.00000002% of the approximately 85,000 tons of PFAS generated domestically by other industries every year. Nonetheless, Inhance continues to conduct research and identify additional treatment modifications to further reduce and eliminate PFAS impurities from the fluorination process.
The third-party risk assessment demonstrated that this miniscule generation of PFAS impurities in the fluorination process does not pose an unreasonable risk to humans or the environment.
About Inhance Technologies Fluorination Process
Inhance has served customers with its fluorination technology for 40 years, and is committed to continuing safe operations that are protective of its workers, local communities, the public and the environment.
Treating more than 200 million articles a year, Inhance’s fluorination technology plays a critical role in many domestic supply chains, totaling tens of billions of dollars of economic activity annually and supporting thousands of jobs across dozens of states. The barrier protection Inhance imparts allows plastic containers to resist the transmission of their contents through the walls of the container, providing a host of human health, safety and environmental benefits.
In many instances, Inhance’s fluorination treatment is necessary to meet regulatory requirements and protect human health and the environment, including for the transportation and storage of petroleum-based products (preventing more than 50 million gallons of evaporative emissions of gasoline annually) and pesticides in plastic containers. Sectors that heavily rely on Inhance’s fluorination technology include crop protection (e.g., soybeans, cotton and corn), fuel systems and healthcare (e.g., rigid cold chain packaging that ensures the safe transportation of vaccines and vital biologic medicines).