REACH publishes new PFHxA Restriction update

REACH has published an update to the EU (ECHA) Draft PFHxA Restriction Legislation, first published on 29^th March 2024.

The new update appeared in the Official Journal on September 19^th 2024 and will come into force on the 10th October. It addresses the restriction of one of the PFAS components: PFHxA.

It should be noted that this regulation currently only affects countries within the EU and does not restrict the use of C6 foams on UK offshore installations.

The restriction levels align with those previously set for PFOS and PFOA, with limits of:

• 25 ppb for the sum of PFHxA and its salts
• 1,000 ppb for the sum of PFHxA-related substances.

The legislation prevents the use of C6 foam for:

• training, testing and public fire services from 10th April 2026, unless all releases are contained.
• firefighting foams and firefighting foam concentrate for Civil Aviation from 10th October 2029.

Further information on legislation regarding PFAS and the use of C6 Firefighting Foams  can be found here and we'll keep this page updated to keep everyone informed of future developments.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.