Albany Activists Push Anti PFAS Bills
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The politics of plastic is heating back up at the Capitol. We’re talking about PFAS – they’re found in everyday products. New York has already banned PFAS in [products] like firefighting foam, certain packaging, and carpets. Some say now is the time to act on these forever chemicals in personal care products.
“Why now? Because we can’t do it yesterday, this is an urgent crisis that we are facing” said Bobbi Wilding, Executive Director of advocacy group Clean+Healthy.
PFAS stands for polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of chemicals used in a variety of commercial products for their temperature-resistant and non-stick qualities. According to Harvard University, the chemicals were first used in the 1950s. They are spread through water and ground contamination.
“These are all the industrial facilities that we expect to be using PFAS. These are military bases wastewater treatment plants” said Rob Hayes of Environmental Advocates NY referencing a graphic.
A notable example is Hoosick Falls, which is expecting a $3 Million payout from two companies that the state found contaminated the town’s drinking water over decades. Now, a series of bills aimed at reducing the prevalence of PFAS.
The first bill seeks to ban PFAS in products like paint and dental floss (S.187A). A second bill (A.1502/S.1548) would ban PFAS and other toxic chemicals used as fragrances or dyes in menstrual care items like tampons. The third bill (A.2054/S.2057) would ban the sale of any personal care products that have added forever chemicals like PFAS.
How did PFAS make it into products this long? The EPA says the widespread usage of the chemicals makes it challenging to study and assess the potential human health and environmental risks.
The American Chemistry Association, however, says that all PFAS is unique and a ban-all approach would be overregulation and too broad.
“The American Chemistry Council is happy to defend any chemical anytime and say that it’s safe” Wilding countered.
Going forward, activists want to ban PFAS in as many consumer products as possible. They also want to address any regulation loopholes regarding PFAS in the water and air.
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