Perfluorobutane sulfonamide, also known as FBSA or H-FBSA, is a
perfluorinated surfactant. FBSA and its N-alkylated derivatives have been patented by
3M for use in acid etch solutions with low
surface tension. According to the inventors, FBSA and its derivatives are expected to have a smaller tendency to accumulate in living organisms than their perfluorooctanyl analogs such as
PFOS.
Nevertheless, a 2015 study found FBSA in 32 out of 33 samples of Canadian fish.
Spills
In April 2019, 3M admitted in a letter to the EPA that the plant in
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur (dɪˈkeɪtə(r)) is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City", it is located in northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler La ...
released FBSA and
FBSEE into the
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...
, despite a 2009 EPA order prohibiting release to water. Supposedly, authorities had been aware of the contamination since 2014, but did not make it public.
The same facility has been responsible for release of other
per- and polyfluorinated alkylated substances, namely
PFOS and
PFOA
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA; conjugate base perfluorooctanoate; also known colloquially as C8, for its 8 carbon chain structure) is a perfluorinated carboxylic acid produced and used worldwide as an industrial surfactant in chemical processes a ...
, into the Tennessee River, prompting 3M to pay $35 million to a local water authority in order to improve drinking water purification.
Belgian journalists from ''
VTM Nieuws''/''
Het Laatste Nieuws'' reported that 3M was illegally discharging the harmful chemical FBSA into the
Scheldt river
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...
. This was being investigated by the Flemish authorities. On August 24, 2021, the company confessed to the allegations.
See also
*
PFBS (Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid)
References
{{Authority control
Perfluorinated compounds
Sulfonamides