PFAS in Electronics: Where They Are Found & Where to Find PFAS in Electronics

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of nearly 15,000 synthetic chemicals, often referred to as “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.

Understanding the presence of PFAS in electronics is critical because, 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.

According to the EPA regarding What We Know about Health Effects, current peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown that exposure to certain levels of PFAS may lead to:

• Reproductive effects such as decreased fertility or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women.
• Developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes.
• Increased risk of some cancers, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers.
• Reduced ability of the body’s immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response.
• Interference with the body’s natural hormones.
• Increased cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity.

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, the 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. To stay compliant, engineers and designers must identify where you can find them.

Where PFAS in Electronics Are Commonly Found

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.

Specific PFAS components and materials 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 for 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 these "forever chemicals" when it comes to PFAS in electronics? The guide below offers further detail on the products and processes in electronics manufacturing that use PFAS and the current state of PFAS alternatives in electronics.

PFAS in Semiconductor Manufacturing

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. Because of their durability, finding viable PFAS alternatives in electronics—specifically within chip fabrication—remains a significant challenge for the industry.

Although there are likely thousands of use cases for PFAS components and materials, here we offer just a few examples of where they are found in the fab:

• Antireflective coatings
• Internal machine components
• Chemical developers
• Etching solutions
• Inert equipment and seals
• Rinsing solutions
• Vacuum pumps
• Vapor phase soldering
• Wafer thinning

Semiconductor manufacturing also uses PFAS in critical 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.” This group is instrumental in researching new PFAS uses in manufacturing and identifying where transitions to safer materials are possible.

PFAS in Electronic Components and Devices

PFAS can also be found in many PFAS components and materials used in electronic devices like PCB laminate materials, batteries, displays, as well as passive components such as capacitors and packaging materials. The widespread use of these chemicals is a primary reason why tracking PFAS in electronics has become a priority for supply chain transparency.

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.”

Common electronic devices likely to contain these PFAS components and materials include:

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

PFAS Uses in Electronics Manufacturing Processes

Even if an end product is PFAS-free, the manufacturing process it was produced under likely wasn’t. Understanding specific PFAS uses in manufacturing is vital for companies looking to reduce their environmental footprint. 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 how these PFAS components and materials are used in the electronics industry is not yet fully understood. This lack of transparency makes the development of PFAS alternatives in electronics even more pressing for the future of the industry.

PFAS Alternatives and Limiting PFAS Use in Electronics

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 to reduce the prevalence of PFAS in electronics will require a combination of strategies and case-by-case evaluation.

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

There are some use cases where, although potential 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 specific PFAS uses in manufacturing, including the overhaul of processing steps or the adjustment of quality standards and parameters.

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