Update on DuPont Gen X PFOA-Free FEP and PFA Conversion

 

Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) is a substance that has been used as a processing aid by several materials manufacturers worldwide.  It is used to produce fluoropolymers, which are high performance materials.  PFOA has been found to be potentially harmful and therefore the subject of a replacement strategy.

DuPont, a significant producer of materials that have historically included PFOA, has made excellent progress in exceeding the goals of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship program to eradicate PFOA.  DuPont has developed and commercialized new products and processes that do not use PFOA, and cannot break down into PFOA.  Such new technology has been given the name ‘GenX’. 

Creavey Seals Company is a Business focussed on its responsibilities as an ethical and environmentally conscientious organisation.  To that end, it supports this important move by DuPont., away from PFOA, and will continue to use these high grade DuPont materials.  DuPont FEP and PFA GenX materials have been trialled by Creavey Seals, through extrusion, and have been found to meet the same physical characteristics as the older non-GenX material.  Indeed, DuPont literature, available on the DuPont website, shows that other than the addition of an ‘X’ to the product code, no changes to the material specification have been made.

Creavey has been using the upgraded GenX FEP since September 2012 and will start to use GenX PFA in March 2013.  Creavey Seals Company should be happy to answer any questions on the PFOA phase-out strategy.