On May 16, 2000, the 3M Company issued a surprising announcement: the company decided to phase out of the proprietary perfluorooctanyl chemistry used to produce certain repellents and surfactant products including some of its well-known Scotchgard™ products. The range of products affected includes carpet and textile treatment chemicals, grease resistant coatings for food packaging, fire-fighting foams, and many other specialty chemicals. This decision was the consequence of intensive studies over the last few years, motivated by the discovery that certain residual by-products, notably perfluorooctanyl sulfonate (PFOS), were both ubiquitous in the environment and highly persistent.
For more than two years prior to this decision, Battelle was engaged by 3M’s Specialty Markets Business Unit to support an extensive technical effort to understand the environmental release, fate, and exposure pathways of perfluorooctanyl-based chemical products.
“We approached Battelle because we needed a trusted, credible partner with a broad range of scientific and technical capabilities,” said Bill Weppner, Director of Environmental, Health, Safety, and Regulatory Affairs for 3M’s Specialty Markets Business Unit. “The Battelle team was especially helpful in the early phases of program planning and design, and we have been pleased with both the quality of their work and their responsiveness to our needs.”
While there was no evidence of any threat to humans or wildlife, 3M voluntarily acted in accordance with its long-standing commitment to environmental issues and product stewardship. Company officials say it simply was the right thing to do. This move was praised by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several environmental advocacy groups. This action has helped to solidify 3M’s reputation for environmental leadership.
| “We approached Battelle because we needed a trusted,
credible partner with
a broad range of
scientific and technical capabilities.” Bill Weppner, Director of Environmental, Health, Safety, and Regulatory Affairs for 3M’s Specialty Markets Business Unit |
Over 40 staff members from four different Battelle locations contributed to 3M’s broad program.
“This challenging project is a great example of how Battelle can field an integrated, multidisciplinary team of experts to address business-critical issues in a timely manner,” said Dr. Joseph Fiksel, Vice President for Battelle’s Life Cycle Management group.
The extremely low detection limits for PFOS mandated the use of sophisticated analytical testing capabilities with parts per trillion sensitivity. In collaboration with 3M, Battelle’s Dr. Marcia Nishioka developed new analytical methods that relied upon state-of-the-art instrumentation.
In addition, the Battelle program initiated a rigorous, comprehensive inventory of multimedia environmental releases throughout the product life cycle. This process involved dozens of industrial processes and hundreds of facility locations across the United States. To complete this inventory, Battelle’s Dr. Duane Tolle directed the collection and analysis of information from various 3M business units as well as a variety of external sources.
For more information, contact Dr. Joseph Fiksel at (614) 424-5730, fiksel@battelle.org..
