EU Tightens PFOS Rules 4 Major Changes You Must Know Now

On April 14, 2025, the European Commission officially adopted amendments to the POPs Regulation proposed in December 2023, aiming to significantly tighten restrictions on PFOS. The updates include four key revisions that align PFOS regulations with those already applied to PFOA.

The definition has been updated to “PFOS, its salts and related compounds” for clearer coverage. A new unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) limit of 0.025 mg/kg is set for PFOS and its salts, matching the standard for PFOA. For PFOS-related compounds, the UTC limit in substances, mixtures, and articles has been reduced to 1 mg/kg. Moreover, the exemption for using PFOS in non-decorative hard chrome plating as a mist suppressant has been eliminated, following unanimous expert support during the 2022 POPs Committee Meeting.

PFOS, along with PFOA, belongs to the notorious PFAS family, known for extreme environmental persistence, water and oil repellency, and widespread industrial use, including electronics, firefighting foams, textiles, and food packaging.

Because PFOS resists degradation and accumulates in living organisms, it has been dubbed a “forever chemical.” The EU classified PFOS and PFOA as reproductive toxicants and persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances (PBTs) as early as 2008, and global control measures followed through the Stockholm Convention in 2009.

The EU’s drinking water directive sets PFAS total limits at 0.50 μg/L, with stricter sum limits at 0.10 μg/L by 2026. For food, Regulation (EU) 2023/915 defines PFOS and other PFAS thresholds between 0.20 to 50 μg/kg for meat, fish, eggs, and seafood. Monitoring programs under (EU) 2022/1431 further recommend investigations when infant foods show PFAS levels above 0.050 μg/kg. Sampling and testing methodologies are clearly outlined in (EU) 2022/1428 and C/2024/4910 guidance documents.

These updated PFOS regulations mark a decisive step as the EU intensifies its crackdown on persistent toxic pollutants.