Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid
chemical compound
Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) is a PFAS chemical compound having a four-carbon fluorocarbon chain and a sulfonic acid functional group. It is stable and unreactive because of the strength of carbon–fluorine bonds. It can occur in the form of a colorless liquid or solid. Its conjugate base is perfluorobutanesulfonate (also called nonaflate) which functions as the hydrophobe in fluorosurfactants.
Since June 2003, 3M has used PFBS as a replacement for the persistent, toxic, and bioaccumulative compound perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) in its Scotchgard stain repellents.
Safety
PFBS has a half-life of a little over one month in humans, much shorter than PFOS with 5.4 years. PFBS is thought to be persistent in the environment. Studies have not yet been specifically conducted to determine safety in humans.
The European Chemicals Agency decision adding PFBS to the REACH Regulation Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern states:"The combined intrinsic properties justifying the inclusion as a substance for which there is scientific evidence of probable serious effects to human health and the environment which give rise to an equivalent level of concern are the following: very high persistence, high mobility in water and soil, high potential for long-range transport, and difficulty of remediation and water purification as well as moderate bioaccumulation in humans. The observed probable serious effects for human health and the environment are thyroid hormonal disturbances and reproductive toxicity seen in rodents, and effects on liver, kidney and haematological system in rats, hormonal disturbances and effects on reproduction in marine medaka fish and effects on expression of hormone receptors in tadpoles.
The public source identifies “Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid” as chemical compound. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Perfluorobutanesulfonic, acid and chemical.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q410426. The first chronological checks are 2003.
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This entry incorporates text from “Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.