PFAROS will develop safe, effective, and scalable alternatives to PFAS, underpinned by robust data, validated technologies, and strong stakeholder collaboration. The practical solutions and strategic guidance developed will ensure compliance, sustainability, and continuity in essential healthcare applications.
PFAROS will address 7 key challenges and will do so in close collaboration with industrial, scientific, medical and regulatory stakeholders to ensure impact and success. To begin, PFAROS will map PFAS uses and facilitate data sharing in the healthcare global supply chain. This will be done by developing a suite of online tools including a Data Tool making insights actionable to healthcare professionals. PFAROS will ensure product quality and safety of PFAS alternatives developed for PFAS currently used in polymers, coatings, processing aids and components used in analytical synthesis. PFAROS will gain a better understanding of potential exposure routes and safety of PFAS alternatives. PFAROS will deliver reproducible, human-relevant risk rankings to guide rapid, resource-efficient selection of safer PFAS alternatives and materials. PFAROS will enhance stakeholder acceptance, life cycle management, and circularity aspects by considering different scenarios and evaluating the PFAS alternatives using a safe and sustainable by design framework. All waste management strategies, both for solid and liquid waste streams will be evaluated for efficiency, selectivity, energy use, and formation of by-products. These steps will ensure that PFAROS arrives at validated technologies and solutions. PFAROS will support policy frameworks and regulatory interactions and will develop and EU roadmap to reduce and eliminate PFAS emissions. Finally, PFAROS will ensure industry uptake of knowledge and tools by working in close collaboration with all relevant stakeholders across the full supply chain.
PFAROS is founded in a public-private partnership bringing all necessary expertise across the entire life cycle. The consortium is made up of over 100 partners covering academia, applied research, industry, healthcare, and civil society, covering analytical chemistry, risk assessment, toxicology, materials science, environmental engineering, pharmaceutical R&D, AI, life-cycle assessment, policy, and stakeholder engagement.
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101251281. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and COCIR, EFPIA, Europa Bío, MedTech Europe, and Vaccines Europe.
Funded by the European Union, the private members, and those contributing partners of the IHI JU.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the aforementioned parties. Neither of the aforementioned parties can be held responsible for them.
