By CRM Staff
Toronto, Ontario — June 19, 2018 — The Government of Canada and the North American auto industry are both looking for information from the aftermarket on Pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).
The two parties are specifically looking for answers to the particular use of PFOA compounds in the automotive sector in North America compared to other regions of the world, as well as the amount of PFOA used in different vehicle parts.
PFOA is a harmful synthetic chemical used by manufacturers in the automotive industry to produce fluroropolymers.
Canada has partnered with the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, an international treaty designed to protect humans and the environment form dangerous chemicals.
PFOA has been suggested for listing at the Convention, with a possibility of exemptions for vehicle service and replacement parts.
OEM’s have supported the exemption.
“Vehicle manufacturers have been proactively phasing out PFOA use for some time,” the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association said in a statement. “However, service and replacement parts might still contain PFOA. These parts represent a small percentage of PFOA use and will decrease naturally over time as the vehicle fleet turns-over. Automotive manufacturers need to ensure the availability of original equipment and spare parts in order to satisfy customer demand.”
The Convention will further examine the need for exemptions in the service and replacement parts industry in September of this year. The current information being sought-after is for the aftermarket to justify the exemption.
“We look forward to the continued participation of the vehicle sector [in this process],” said the Government of Canada. “We encourage the vehicle sector to provide comprehensive information as requested to assist the [Convention] in their decision making.”
