On June 4, 2025, the UK government released a document on the interim approach to PFAS (per - and polyfluoroalkyl substances) risk management and the PMT concept, aiming to better protect the environment and human health.
Background
PFAS are a group of chemicals with high persistence and environmental migratory properties, widely present in groundwater, surface water, and fish samples. Due to their persistence and migratory nature, PFAS can be detected even in areas far from emission sources. These characteristics make PFAS difficult to degrade in the environment and likely to cause long - term impacts on ecosystems and human health.The PMT concept is designed to identify and manage chemicals that are highly persistent and migratory but may not have been fully considered by traditional risk assessment methods. Compared to the traditional PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic) and vPvB (very persistent and very bioaccumulative) categories, the PMT concept focuses more on the persistence and migratory properties of chemicals.
Main content of the document
According to the document, the UK government plans to apply the PMT concept to PFAS risk management. This includes using the PMT concept in UK REACH restriction proposals to evaluate whether PFAS pose uncontrolled risks to human health and the environment. In addition, the UK will also consider adopting a non - threshold approach to manage the risks of PMT or vPvM (very persistent and very mobile) substances, which means minimizing emissions of these substances to reduce exposure levels for the environment and humans.
Future plans
Although there are currently no globally unified standards for identifying PMT substances, the UK government has stated that it will continue to engage in international discussions and refine this concept based on the evolving knowledge and data. Future work will include discussions with international partners to achieve global coordination and regulatory cooperation. Meanwhile, the UK Environment Agency will undertake research projects to develop more sophisticated screening and assessment tools to help prioritize substances at the registration stage and consider various exposure scenarios.
Further Information
