IMPREGNO - PFC-free impregnation - for the sake of the environment.

IMPREGNO is a fluorine-free waterproofing agent for long-term impregnation for application to textiles, especially for outdoor articles, stone, wood, leather or plastic.
IMPREGNO is suitable for all absorbent materials.
The grip of the material is preserved.
IMPREGNO is ready for use and can be applied by spraying, in the washing machine for re-impregnation or in a foulard (textile machine). The goods to be equipped must be free of effect-reducing substances (e.g. residual alkali, dust, preparations, etc.).
IMPREGNO is low-odor, non-flammable and not self-igniting.
IMPREGNO has a preventive effect against fungus and algae.
IMPREGNO is Made in Germany.

Why PFC-free is good for people and nature.

What is PFC?

PFC are poorly degradable compounds made of fluorine and hydrocarbon. They even appear in the liver of Arctic polar bears because the substances accumulate through the food chain. PFC are not harmless for humans: recent studies suspect a connection between PFC and the increased growth of tumors, reduced fertility, immune disorders, thyroid disorders and obesity.
PFC is an abbreviation for per- and polyfluorinated chemicals. This group of substances comprises more than 800 substances.
The best known representatives are perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

PFCs do not occur naturally, but have an anthropogenic origin. Chemically speaking, PFCs consist of carbon chains of various lengths, in which the hydrogen atoms are completely (perfluorinated) or partially (polyfluorinated) replaced by fluorine atoms. Polyfluorinated chemicals can be broken down into perfluorinated substances and are therefore widely referred to as precursors.

The use of two extremely durable PFC's (PFOS and PFOA) is restricted in the EU as well as in Switzerland. However, other PFCs, which also pose health and environmental risks, are still in use. It is scary that PFCs have even been found in the blood of newborns.

How do PFCs get into the environment?

PFCs can be released into the environment during their manufacture and in the manufacture of products containing PFC. When using and disposing of these products, PFCs can also be released later in the life cycle.

Neither biotic processes (bacteria) nor abiotic processes (water, air, light) can contribute to the breakdown of the PFC. This means that they cannot be dismantled in sewage treatment plants. Rather, additional perfluorinated chemicals are created in sewage treatment plants through various conversion processes from the degradable precursor compounds (polyfluorinated chemicals). Water-soluble PFCs are distributed globally across rivers and seas. These compounds are even found in remote areas such as the Arctic and the animals living there.

Other PFCs accumulate in the sewage sludge. If this sewage sludge is used as a soil improver in agriculture, plants can absorb the PFC from the contaminated soil or the chemicals can seep into the groundwater.

Volatile PFCs, for example impregnation sprays, are distributed into the atmosphere via air currents. PFCs can also adsorb on particles and thus be transported over long distances in the air. Precipitation events in turn get PFC into soil and surface water.

Why are PFC so worrying for the environment?

PFC consist of carbon chains of various lengths, in which the hydrogen atoms are completely (perfluorinated) or partially (polyfluorinated) replaced by fluorine atoms. This very stable bond between carbon and fluorine can only be released with very high energy consumption.
Once PFCs are released into the environment, they remain there for a very long time. Some PFCs, especially PFCs with a long carbon chain, also accumulate in the organism and along the food chain. PFCs with a short carbon chain accumulate less in the organism, but are all the more mobile and can therefore contaminate groundwater and drinking water faster. Some PFCs are also known to be toxic.

Are PFCs dangerous to humans?

PFCs are mainly ingested through food or contaminated drinking water. Increased concentrations of PFC in indoor air, for example through carpets treated with PFC, also contribute to PFC levels in the blood. In humans, PFCs such as PFOS bind to proteins in the blood, liver and kidney. The transmission of PFC from mother to child during pregnancy and lactation and the slow elimination of long-chain PFC from the human body are particularly critical.