C6O4: Leading scientific studies demonstrate safer profile of Syensqo’s next-generation fluorosurfactant
Fifteen scientific studies carried out by leading Italian academic institutions and accepted by international technical-scientific publications (peer reviewed) confirmed the safer profile of C6O4 compared to other fluorosurfactants. C6O4 is the next-generation proprietary fluorosurfactant that Syensqo uses as polymerization aid in the production of some fluoropolymers, in a transition phase to its new, non-fluorosurfactant technologies. This molecule, which is neither bioaccumulative nor biopersistent, has entirely replaced PFOA since 2013 at Spinetta Marengo (Italy) site, well in advance of the recommendations introduced at international level.
C6O4 is registered under the EU’s REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) Regulation. As part of this registration process, more than 30 studies were performed to assess its toxicological and environmental profile. These studies were carried out by external private European laboratories in compliance with the GLP (Good Laboratory Practices). Scientific research continues in collaboration with leading academic institutions, to deepen scientific knowledge about C6O4.
Update on recent relevant scientific studies
- The safety profile of C6O4 with regard to the thyroid function is demonstrated in the groundbreaking work by the University of Pavia published in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation in 2021, which concluded that the “new-generation fluorosurfactant C6O4 does not produce adverse effects on thyroid cells in vitro.” Another study carried out by the same University, published in 2023 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research, concludes that C6O4 does not have toxicological effects on the mechanism of cancer development. More recently, in May 2024 a study evaluating in vitro effects of C6O4 and PFOA in markers that are involved in the very initial phase of the cancerogenic mechanisms concluded that C6O4 showed marginal effects in the pre-cancer mechanism compared to PFOA.
- Still referring to thyroid in vitro studies, research conducted by the University of Padua - and published in June 2022 in Frontiers of Endocrinology - confirmed that C6O4 had no damaging effect on the thyroid gland, and highlighted the molecule as a safer toxicological profile compared to old-generation fluorosurfactants.
- An additional study by the University of Padua published in December 2022 demonstrated with further experimental evidence that C6O4 does not cause any effects possibly associated with toxicity in the cells of the human brain. In addition, a previously published study in January 2022 had already demonstrated the absence of C6O4 in the human brain in potentially exposed subjects.
- More recently, in December 2023 the University of Padua showed in a study published on Toxicology Reports that C6O4 interacts with membrane lipids in a different way compared to the old-generation fluorosurfactant, therefore reducing related health impacts.
- Still in December 2023 the same University of Padua published a study in Toxicology highlighting that C6O4 does not bind with the testosterone hormone binding protein and does not interfere with testosterone in the binding mechanism.
Regarding bioaccumulation and biopersistency, the following in vitro studies explain the mechanisms of action of low accumulation in blood: 1) no binding with human serum albumin and 2) quick elimination through urine. The very short blood half life of C6O4 in humans is furtherly confirmed through the biological monitoring of workers, thus highlighting its low biopersistence profile.
- In September 2022, an important study was published in Chemical Research in Toxicology by a team of researchers from the University of Padua - including Prof. Carlo Foresta - in collaboration with Ca Foscari University in Venice. The study concluded that, from the point of view of biopersistence, C6O4 has better characteristics than other analyzed fluorosurfactants.
- A University of Turin research team supports the non-bioaccumulative and non-biopersistent nature of C6O4, as reported in the peer-reviewed article they published in June 2022 in the Toxicology Journal. The study revealed the mechanisms underlying the observed short half life of C6O4 explained by its rapid elimination through urine.
- More recently, in January 2023, a study on the biological monitoring of workers at the two Spinetta Marengo and Bollate sites over the period 2004-2021 was published in Annals of Work Exposures and Health. This work, carried out at the Milan State University and Foundation IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, provides preliminary indications that C6O4 does not bioaccumulate in the blood of workers. The low bioaccumulative profile has been recently confirmed by the study published in Toxics in March 2023, demonstrating a short half-life of a few days in human blood.
Environmental studies
A series of studies to deeply evaluate the environmental profile of C6O4 were started with Ca Foscari University in Venice in collaboration with IMDEA Institute in 2021. As a result, the following papers were published:
- In May 2023, a review on the ecotoxicological properties and environmental exposure data of C6O4 was published in Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, describing the studies and providing results on freshwater aquatic ecosystem, biodegradation and environmental distribution of C6O4. Based on these data as well as environmental occurrence concentration, the ecological risk for the aquatic ecosystem associated with the presence of C6O4 can be excluded.
- In an open-air freshwater artificial environment study published in Aquatic Toxicology in 2024, a total of 26 macroinvertebrate, 61 phytoplankton, 14 zooplankton species were examined to assess the effect of C6O4 dissolved in water. As a conclusion, no ecological risks are expected at environmental concentration.
- Furthermore, a study published in Science of The Total Environment in April 2024 describes the first ecotoxicological data of C6O4 on earthworms, which concludes that the bioaccumulation potential of C6O4 is extremely low and no effects were observed at realistic soil concentrations.
- Still in the journal Science of The Total Environment, another research published in May 2024, dealing with the analysis of the uptake of C6O4 on terrestrial plants (maize and tomato) through a greenhouse study demonstrated a low bioaccumulation factor in both plants, which does not impact the edible parts.
