Update to requirements for PFOS in EU POPs Regulation

New maximum permitted limits have been introduced for PFOS, its salts and PFOS-related substances.

9th February 2026

The requirements for PFOS have been revised to make them more consistent with those of PFOA and other PFAS substances.

On 3rd December 2025, the Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation (EU) 2019/1021 (POPs) was updated to amend the requirements for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in articles. PFOS was the first per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) to be regulated in the EU, following its listing under POPs in 2010, with the limits on its use based upon scientific understanding at the time.

The more recent addition of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is chemically very similar to PFOS and used for many of the same applications, prompted a review which highlighted that these substances could be present as contaminants at much lower levels than previously thought. As a result, the requirements for PFOS have been revised to make them more consistent with those of PFOA and other PFAS substances included within the POPs Regulation.

The new maximum permitted limits are 25 parts per billion (ppb) for PFOS and its salts, and 1,000 ppb for PFOS-related substances. These came into force on 3rd December 2025 and apply to all articles and material types. The previous restrictions on PFOS within POPs differentiated between coated textiles and other materials, with coated textiles subject to a limit of 1 µg/m2. The restriction was therefore based upon the amount of PFOS present per unit of surface area.

This change to the measurement units means that verification of compliance with the new restrictions is not straightforward, as previous test results cannot be directly converted for comparison to the new limits. For materials other than coated textiles, the previous limit was 1,000 parts per million (ppm), so the amendment has reduced this by 1,000-fold, making it a much more stringent restriction. Taking this into account, it is recommended to liaise with suppliers and undertake due diligence testing to ensure compliance with the new requirements.

SATRA can assist by arranging testing for PFOS and other PFAS substances to show compliance with POPs and other key pieces of legislation. Please contact chemistry@satra.com for further information about the services we can offer.