Brazilian overview of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances listed as persistent organic pollutants in the stockholm convention

PFAS are a group of organic chemicals, which some presents environmental persistence, dispersion and potential toxicity. Some of them have been listed in the Stockholm Convention as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to have its production and use restricted, namely PFOS, its salts and PFOSF and PFOA, its salts and related substances. As a Party, Brazil has to comply with the Convention provisions regarding the control of POPs. In order to develop listed PFAS inventories in the country, the Convention guidance documents were used. Stakeholders were consulted and trade data was assessed. Complementary, a review on listed PFAS occurrence in Brazil was performed. From over 1000 queries sent, only 3 answers were received. International trade data showed an import of 93.7 tonnes of PFOSF from China and export of sulfluramid-base ant bait to other developing countries. Domestic trade data showed that around 28 t per year of EtFOSA is commercialized in Brazil. The EtFOSA sold internally could lead to emissions of up to 616 t of PFOS. With domestic and foreign trade data it was possible to estimate the production of EtFOSA from 2010 to 2018 to 40 t per year. Only 10 studies reported listed PFAS occurrence in Brazilian environmental matrices. All of them reported ubiquitous occurrence of listed PFAS in the country, being PFOS the predominant in terms of occurrence and concentration. Brazil needs to develop strategies to overcome the low engagement of stakeholders and enforce control over listed PFAS foreign trade.

Automated summary

The article discusses the status of PFAS in Brazil, including its classification as persistent organic pollutants, import and export data, and domestic trade data. The study finds that although listed PFAS are present in Brazil, there is a lack of research on the topic, indicating a need for strategies to increase stakeholder engagement and reinforce control over PFAS trade.