This legislation would ban the sale or use of packaging that is manufactured with PFAS, chemicals that can linger in the body for decades and are known to have significant human health risks.

PFAS, or Polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class designation that includes nearly 10,000 chemicals used to make everyday items waterproof, stain resistant, or non-stick. These chemicals have become ubiquitous in products ranging from cookware to furniture to children’s toys, despite posing dangerous health risks. Even at low levels, the toxicity of PFAS chemicals can be devastating — increasing the risk of cancer, immunosuppression, birth defects, colitis, and other diseases. Compounding these dangers is the persistent nature of PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breaking down in the environment.

While PFAS chemicals are effective at resisting water and grease, other products can fulfill the same function without exposing consumers to increased health risk. Over 200 scientists that study PFAS have issued a consensus statement, called the Madrid statement, urging governments to regulate these chemicals as a class and to eliminate the unnecessary use of PFAS.

This legislation was included in the omnibus PFAs legislation proposed by the Joint Committee on Public Health during the 193rd legislation and is based off of legislation that passed in Washington State and Maine in recent years. Additionally, 11 states have already passed bans on some consumer products manufactured with PFAS.