Inhance sues EPA to keep PFAS data confidential

Inhance Technologies, a small Texas-based company that fluorinates plastic containers, is fighting to keep its R&D testing data confidential. In a lawsuit filed against the US Environmental Protection Agency on April 2, the firm claims that disclosure of data related to long-chain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in treated containers would cause significant competitive harm. Through its R&D program, Inhance improved its fluorination process in a way that reduces potential PFAS formation and deployed that process to each of its treatment facilities, the firm said in the complaint, filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia. The EPA first identified PFAS contamination in plastic containers treated by Inhance in 2020 and began investigating the issue under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in 2022. As part of that process, the agency ordered Inhance to submit all data relevant to the formation of PFAS in the treated containers.