BAM: certified reference material BAM-B003 made from outdoor clothing textile helps laboratories check the new PFHxA restrictions — from 10 October 2026 the threshold for clothing and footwear is 25 µg/kg of PFHxA and its salts
On 9 October 2026 the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) announced that from 10 October new EU restrictions apply to perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and related substances in clothing, footwear and accessories. Laboratories can check their methods against the certified reference material BAM-B003, made from milled outdoor clothing textile.
- The restriction was introduced by Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2462 (entry 79 of Annex XVII to REACH). From 10 October 2026, products such as textiles, leather and fur in clothing and related accessories for the general public, footwear for the general public, paper and board used as food contact materials, mixtures for the general public and cosmetic products may not be placed on the market or used at a concentration equal to or above 25 ppb for the sum of PFHxA and its salts or 1,000 ppb for the sum of PFHxA-related substances, measured in a homogeneous material. BAM expresses these thresholds as 25 and 1,000 µg/kg.
- Under the same regulation, other textiles, leather and fur for the general public follow from 10 October 2027; firefighting foams for training and testing and those used by public fire services (with exceptions) have been covered since 10 April 2026, and foams for civil aviation will be from 10 October 2029. Articles and mixtures placed on the market before 10 October 2026 (in the second stage, before 10 October 2027) are exempt.
- BAM-B003 is milled outdoor clothing textile with certified contents of 18 PFAS: 11 perfluorocarboxylic acids, 5 perfluorosulfonic acids and 2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acids. According to the certificate, PFHxA is 35 µg/kg with an expanded uncertainty of 7 µg/kg (k = 2); the values were determined by HPLC-MS/MS with stable isotope dilution, and traceability is ensured, among other things, by the certified calibration standard PFAC30PAR (Wellington Laboratories).
- The material is intended for performance control and validation of methods for determining PFAS in outdoor textiles; according to the certificate it may also be applicable to similar textiles. Each unit contains (5.2 ± 0.2) g in an amber glass bottle, the minimum sample intake for one determination is 0.5 g, and the material must be stored at −20 °C or below. BAM accepted it as a certified reference material on 28 November 2024; the institute is accredited as a reference material producer under ISO 17034.