PFAS: Key chemicals for many healthcare products
PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) are synthetic chemicals which play a key role in ensuring the quality and safety of a wide range of healthcare products, from medicines and medical devices right through to packaging and cleaning agents. They are also hard to break down and so build up when released into the environment. Growing concerns about the impacts of PFAS on both human health and the environment mean there is now wide recognition of the need to limit their use.
A move away from PFAS… while maintaining quality and safety
The aim of PFAROS is to accelerate the move away from harmful PFAS substances in the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors, while maintaining the quality and safety of products affected.
‘The PFAROS consortium demonstrates that MedTech, academia and pharmaceutical companies consider sustainable innovation and social responsibility an important part of the healthcare environment,’ said the project’s industry lead, John O’Hara of UCB.
The PFAROS team will start by identifying how PFAS are used in the health sector today, and work to identify, develop and validate alternatives. The team will evaluate alternatives using a ‘safe and sustainable by design’ framework to ensure that they are both safe for patients and other users and environmentally sound throughout manufacture, use and disposal.
Harnessing AI to support the switch
A core project output will be an AI-powered data tool, which will draw on data on PFAS use in health, alternatives to PFAS, toxicology data, chemical analyses and more. Once validated, the tool will support users when deciding how best to replace PFAS in different situations.
Looking to the future, and to guide decision-making, the project also plans to deliver a European roadmap to reduce PFAS emissions from healthcare. The team hopes that its tools and resources will help to pave the way for the elimination of PFAS in healthcare by 2050.
'PFAS alternatives that are safe, sustainable, and fit for the future'
‘No single organisation can solve the PFAS challenge alone,’ said project coordinator Kevin Van Geem of Ghent University. ‘PFAROS unites expertise from across the healthcare ecosystem to create practical, science-based solutions that will help reduce PFAS emissions, strengthen sustainability, and ensure the long-term resilience of European healthcare.’
PFAROS will deliver impacts in a range of areas. Scientifically, it will drive innovations in the development of high quality, safe, environmentally-sound alternatives to PFAS. This in turn will trigger new business opportunities, position Europe as a leader in sustainable healthcare solutions, and boost the resilience of Europe’s life science sectors.
Most importantly, by replacing PFAS in healthcare, the project will improve the safety of diverse healthcare products for patients, and contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment.
'Science, collaboration and responsibility for people and the environment are at the heart of Europe's vision,' concluded project co-lead Maricica Munteanu-Kempa of Biotronik. 'PFAROS brings this vision to life by shaping PFAS alternatives that are safe, sustainable, and fit for the future.'