Matex is actively working to develop and formulate its products to be and are free from intended perfluorinated group compounds. An example can be of durable water repellency without fluorocarbon resins that still provides very good, sustainable and durable water-repellent properties.

Information on PFOS and PFOA

Media discussions about perfluoroctanesulphonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorinated surfactants (PFTs) in connection with textile finishes have been generalised. The impregnation of textiles for the purpose of making them water and oil-repellent has, by mistake, been named to be the source of the compounds mentioned.

However, PFOS, PFOA and PFTs are not used for finishing textile substrates; the majority originates from other fields of application such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) compounds, galvanic processes, use in fire-extinguishing foams etc.

In textile auxiliaries for the water/oil-repellent finishing, the criticised perfluorinated acids and surfactants can at most be contained as byproducts in the range of < 0.5 ppm caused by manufacturing.

As mobile fluorine compounds have been used for years, PFOA, PFOS and other PFTs are ubiquitously detectable.

The analytical methods for determining perfluorinated substances are constantly being refined - not least with a view to further protecting the environment and to be able to prove even extremely small quantities of fluorine compounds in the range of only a few „parts per billion“ (ppb). Improved analytical methods are confirming the worldwide existing basic pollution.