Update on the PFAS situation at the Arkema site in Pierre-Bénite
April 2023
- To date, the Pierre Bénite site makes limited use of a single fluorinated additive, 6:2 FTS, which is not bioaccumulative and which Arkema has decided to stop using by the end of 2024;
- The Pierre Bénite site commissioned a 6:2 FTS filtration system at the end of November 2022, representing an investment of €4 million;
- Since February 2023, this innovative solution has made it possible to reduce 6:2 FTS emissions by more than 90% at this stage;
- The 3.5 t per year mentioned in the IGEDD report does not correspond to the current situation;
- Emissions of 6:2 FTS now represent less than 1kg per day on average.
- Concerning the presence of PFAS in eggs, the 6:2 FTS used to date by the Pierre-Bénite site is not bioaccumulative and cannot be present in eggs;
- The PFAS found in eggs could come from multiple sources, such as ingredients in the hens' feed. Furthermore, the PFOS detected in the eggs was never used on the site in its industrial process;
- The presence of PFAS can therefore only be analyzed globally, well beyond the industrial site of Pierre-Bénite, because of the large number of potential sources.