PFAS regulation has moved from an environmental-policy debate to a procurement question. Drinking water limits are now in force or imminent in two of the world's largest markets, and the materials that make a plumbing fitting work — the elastomer in the O-ring, the tape on the thread, the mist suppressant in the plating bath — sit inside the scope of the discussion. For importers and specifiers, the practical issue is not slogans but documentation.
In the European Union, Directive (EU) 2020/2184, the recast Drinking Water Directive, introduced two PFAS parameters: **PFAS Total** at 0.5 µg/L and the **sum of 20 PFAS** at 0.1 µg/L. Member States were required to monitor these parameters and ensure compliance from 12 January 2026, and to act where values are exceeded.
In the United States, the EPA's 2024 National Primary Drinking Water Regulation set enforceable maximum contaminant levels for six PFAS: 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and 10 ppt for PFHxS, PFNA and HFPO-DA (GenX), with a hazard-index approach for mixtures and compliance deadlines running to 2029.
Alongside the water rules, the proposed universal PFAS restriction under REACH covers a very large group of substances — commonly cited as around 10,000 — and would include fluoropolymers. The scope for industrial and professional uses is still being debated, which is precisely why material documentation now matters more than a supplier's blanket assurance. In the UK, PFAS monitoring continues against advisory levels while formal standards are developed, and the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 already control what may be installed on premises.
Under the OECD's 2021 definition, PFAS are substances containing at least one fully fluorinated methyl or methylene carbon atom. That definition is broad, and it captures fluoropolymers and fluoroelastomers — the very materials that historically solved difficult sealing problems in hot, chlorinated or chemically aggressive water.
Article 11 of the recast Directive requires materials in contact with drinking water not to compromise water quality directly or indirectly. A fitting does not have to release a measurable amount of PFAS to become a documentation problem; it simply has to contain a material that a customer's own restricted-substances list now prohibits.
Four locations matter in most fittings:
**Fluoroelastomer seals and diaphragms.** FKM and FFKM grades are selected where EPDM or nitrile cannot handle temperature, chloramine or chemical exposure. They appear as O-rings, cartridge seals and thermostatic-valve diaphragms.
**PTFE.** Thread seal tape, anti-friction washers and PTFE-lined flexible connectors are all fluoropolymers. They are often assumed to be "inert plastic", which is not the same as "outside a PFAS definition".
**Lubricants and sealants.** Stem greases and some factory-applied sealants use fluorinated additives, and they sit on the wetted surface.
**Coatings and plating.** Decorative chrome and nickel coatings must meet BS EN 248, and hard-chrome plating has historically relied on fluorinated mist suppressants that were subject to PFOS restrictions. A plating supply chain that cannot say what it uses cannot support a PFAS declaration.
Vague answers here are the main commercial risk, so put the questions in the technical submittal:
Blanket replacement of every fluorinated part is not a sound engineering answer. FKM is chosen because EPDM sometimes fails in hot chloraminated water; PTFE tape is chosen because a dry thread leaks. The substitution decision should be made component by component:
List every wetted component and classify it by material family.
Flag all fluoropolymers and fluoroelastomers, and record their function.
Obtain component-level declarations with the PFAS definition stated.
Request total-fluorine screening for the finished wetted assembly.
Confirm the elastomer designation and its standardised classification.
Confirm the plating process and its mist-suppressant chemistry.
Verify potable-water approvals and the applicable test evidence.
Verify low-lead alloy compliance and current metal-release test data.
Keep the declarations version-controlled and re-request them when formulations change.
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**About the author — Zhejiang Xindong Sanitary Ware Co., Ltd.**
Zhejiang Xindong Sanitary Ware Co., Ltd. manufactures and exports brass valves, tapware and sanitary fittings from Yuhuan, Zhejiang, where it has operated since 2006. The company supplies importers, distributors and building-services customers across the UK, Europe, North America and Japan, holds WRAS approval on parts of its range, and works with OEM and ODM customers on wetted-material declarations, alternative elastomer grades and potable-water test documentation.
Enquiries: [email protected] | +86-0576-87499008 | https://www.cn-xindong.com
*Regulatory and materials guidance only. Compliance obligations depend on the destination market, product type and year; confirm requirements with the relevant approval body and the applicable test laboratory.*
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The company, founded in 1999 and located in Yuhuan,specializes in taps, thermostatic shower valves and shower kits. With over 30,000 sqm of space and 380+ employees, we hold numerous certifications and 65+ patents.
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