Where to Find PFAS in Electronics

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of nearly 15,000 synthetic chemicals, “forever chemicals” that are extremely slow to degrade, remaining in the environment for an unknown amount of time and, over time, possibly leaking into the soil, water, and air.

Besides their environmental impact, health regulators are concerned about how exposure to these chemicals may impact human health, including increasing the risk of some cancers. 

People can be exposed to these chemicals by breathing air polluted with PFAS, consuming PFAS-contaminated food or water, or using products containing PFAS. Because of their persistence and ubiquitousness, having been used in consumer products worldwide since the 1950s, people and animals are constantly exposed.

Human exposure to PFAS is widespread, and blood levels of some PFAS can build up over time. One report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), found PFAS in the blood of 97% of Americans.

Hence, the Biden-Harris Administration has launched a plan to combat PFAS pollution. As part of the approach, EPA introduced a new PFAS Roadmap.

PCBA manufacturers face increasing regulatory pressures, including the Toxic Substances Control Act’s (TSCA) new reporting and recordkeeping requirements. So, you may want to know where you can find them.

Where You Can Find PFAS

Due to their unique properties, such as high thermal and chemical stability and water, oil, and grease repellence, PFAS are commonly used in many industries, including cosmetics, automotive, aerospace, construction, textiles, and leather. 

PFAS can be found in hundreds of products globally, including household products such as coffee makers, keyboards, printers, vacuum cleaners, and non-stick cookware. PFAS are also likely to be found in products that boast waterproof or stain-resistant properties, including clothing, outdoor equipment, and furniture.

As they offer resistance against water, oil, and soil, PFAS are used as surface protectors and surfactants of carpets, leathers, textiles, papers, and fire extinguishing agents.

PFAS may be present as impurities in raw materials and processing or intentionally added to products to perform specific functions. But where can you find PFAS when it comes to electronics?

The guide below offers further detail on the products and processes in electronics manufacturing that use PFAS.

Semiconductors

Essential to the industry due to their unique physicochemical properties, PFAS are pervasive in semiconductor manufacturing and are commonly used in production, semiconductor manufacturing equipment (in high-purity water distribution systems, for example), and throughout the supply chain. 

Although there are likely thousands of use cases, here we offer just a few examples:

• Antireflective coatings 
• Components
• Developers
• Etching solutions
• Inert equipment 
• Rinsing Solutions 
• Vacuum pumps 
• Vapor phase soldering 
• Wafer thinning 

Semiconductor manufacturing also uses PFAS in processes such as photolithography and encapsulation.

To help educate the public and better inform public policy, The Semiconductor Industry Association has formed the Semiconductor PFAS Consortium, “an international group of semiconductor industry stakeholders formed to collect the technical data needed to formulate an industry approach to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) based on science.”

Electronic Devices

PFAS can also be found in many materials and components used in electronic devices like PCB laminate materials, batteries, displays, as well as passive components such as capacitors and packaging materials.

In fact, almost all FR4-grade PCBs include PFAS as part of the laminate construction. According to a report by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Over 90 percent of FR-4 PCBs used epoxy resins containing the reactive flame retardant tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) to meet flammability standards.” 

Electronic devices likely to contain PFAS include:

• Acoustical equipment
• Flat panel displays
• Fuel cells
• Liquid crystal displays (LCD)
• Lithium-ion batteries 
• Smartphones and tablets
• Solar panels
• Wiring and cables

Manufacturing

Even if an end product is PFAS-free, the manufacturing process it was produced under likely wasn’t.

Below is a list of products used throughout the manufacturing process of varying electronic devices that contain PFAS.

• Cleaning products 
• Dielectric fluids 
• General electronic equipment packaging 
• Heat transfer fluids 
• Piezoelectric ceramic filters 
• Pulsed plasma nano-coatings 
• Solvents, carrier fluids, and lubricant deposition
• Testing compounds

While it’s true that PFOS and PFOA were restricted under the Stockholm Convention in 2009 and 2019, respectively, and have since that time been largely phased out, they were, in many cases, replaced by shorter-chain PFAS.

As designs and formulas of end products are not publicly divulged, the full extent of PFAS use in the electronics industry is not yet fully understood.

Limiting the use of PFAS

PFAS offer a wide range of critical properties that make them valuable (and hard to replace) in electronic applications, such as chemical inertness, dielectric strength, flame retardancy, and hydrophobicity. Limiting their use will require a combination of strategies and case-by-case evaluation.

Although, depending on the application, there are some alternatives, like silicone-based materials, natural oils and waxes, and bio-based polymers. Unfortunately, ways of eliminating or even reducing PFAS usage remain somewhat limited. 

There are some use cases where, although alternatives are available, PFAS-containing products are still the preferred “go-to,” including capacitors, wiring, and cables. In other scenarios, moving to alternative materials will require the re-engineering of processing steps or the adjustment of quality standards and parameters.

As a whole, non-PFAS alternatives are not currently readily available for the electronics sector. However, the availability of earth and healthy-friendly alternatives will improve with time, innovation, and resource investment.