International. New PFAS regulation proposals in Europe could affect multiple refrigerants in the long term, as their ban could include all HFC/HFO alternative refrigerant blends.
Put another way, the ban on PFAS, substances linked to cancer in person, affects most refrigerant blends, especially HFOs.
According to the European media Cooling post "the ban on just five refrigerants under the new PFAS regulation proposals would lead to the ban of virtually all current low-GWP HFC/HFO alternative refrigerant blends."
In that vein, in Europe only 13 of the 106 R400-series mixes currently listed with ASHRAE would escape the ban for being PFAS-related. These compounds are mostly mixtures of hydrocarbons. However, of the 500 series mixtures, only two, also hydrocarbons, would be outside of a possible exclusion.
The list of prohibited substances could include single component gases such as R125, R134a, R143a and the HFOs R1234yf and R1234ze(E), which “affects virtually all new and current lower GWP HFC/HFO refrigerant blends ”.
One point to clarify is that while R134a is no longer used as a single component and its use in chillers is disappearing in Europe due to F-gas regulations, it is still an important component in many alternative lower GWP blends.
HFOs R1234yf and R1234ze(E), along with R1233zd(E) (also listed), are also currently offered as single refrigerant options in chillers by several leading manufacturers.
PFAS in the sights of Europe
The list of single component refrigerants defined as PFAS are:
HFC125
HFC134a
HFC143a
HFO1234yf
HFO1234ze(E)
HFO1336mzz(E)
HFO1336mzz(Z)
HCFO1224yd
HCFO1233zd(E)
According to the Cooling Post, “possible bans on these single-component gases affect the vast majority of refrigerant blends, some of which are already banned under European F-gas regulations or are subject to restrictions due to their high GWPs”.
