NEWS RELEASE
Advocates Applaud NY’s New Nation-Leading Law Banning Toxics in Period Products
New Law Bans the Sale in NYS of Period Products Containing PFAS “Forever Chemicals” and Other Toxics Linked to Cancer, Infertility
For Immediate Release: December 19, 2025
Contact: Jasmine Phillip jasmine@cleanhealthyny.org, (518) 354-3263 December 19, 2025 (Albany, NY) – JustGreen Partnership and partner organizations celebrate a new law that bans PFAS “forever chemicals” and other toxic chemicals in period products (S.1548 Fernandez/ A.1502 Rosenthal) signed by Governor Hochul - though with chapter amendments today. New York now joins eight states that have banned PFAS “forever chemicals” in period products and alongside Vermont, is the first to ban additional toxic chemicals. The bill will go into effect on December 19, 2026 protecting millions across New York State who use period products.
Over a lifetime, a person who menstruates spends up to 84,000 hours actively on their period and uses as many as 10,000 period products. Unlike other skin surfaces, the sensitive areas period products come in contact with are much more absorbent of substances like toxic chemicals; creating an easy way for toxics to enter the body. This bill bans period products that contain toxic chemicals such as: PFAS, lead, and formaldehyde, parabens, and phthalates, and more. These toxics are known to either cause or contribute to serious health issues such as infertility, cancer, and more.
The JustGreen Partnership commends bill sponsors Senator Nathalia Fernandez and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal for their hard work on passing this bill earlier this year with overwhelming bipartisan support from their colleagues.
“This legislation is about basic safety and fairness,” said Senator Nathalia Fernandez. “Women shouldn’t have to research ingredient labels or hunt for ‘safer’ options just to avoid toxic chemicals in products they rely on every month, and this law makes clear that period products should support health, not put it at risk. I am grateful to Governor Hochul for signing this bill into law, to the advocates who pushed this effort forward, and I am proud to have sponsored and led this legislation through the Senate.”
"Women should not have to put up with poisonous period products and with the signing of this new law, women in New York will no longer have to," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF - Manhattan), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing. "I have spent years working to advance menstrual equity in New York State and am proud that my legislation restricting toxic substances in menstrual products has been signed into law. I applaud the efforts of Clean+Healthy, the JustGreen Partnership and the many advocates who have spent years pushing for safer products. I look forward to continuing this work together."
“Using period products is unavoidable for half the world’s adult population every month. Given how intimately they are used, every single period product should be free of chemicals that could harm our health. This law is an essential part of ensuring reproductive health and justice. Thank you Assemblymember Rosenthal and Senator Fernandez for your dedicated leadership to make this law a reality. As a mom of two, I’m grateful to know that my kids’ products - and those of their peers - will be healthier for their entire reproductive lives,” said Bobbi Wilding, Executive Director of Clean+Healthy.
Product marketing and the placement of retailers like dollar stores and facilities that emit heavy amounts of pollution create a situation where communities of color are disproportionately exposed to and affected by toxic chemicals in their homes, personal care products, and communities. Environmental Justice leaders in the state applaud the bill's passage, stating it acknowledges a problem that has been persistent for decades.
“Women and femmes of color are already disproportionately exposed to toxic chemicals in their lived environment, and even more so from beauty products that are marketed towards them. One way to reduce this dangerous exposure is to ban toxic chemicals in period products, which pose a heightened risk given their use in absorptive areas of the body as well as their duration of use,” said Briana Carbajal, State Legislative Manager at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. “This crucial legislation for menstruators’ health will prohibit the use of chemicals such as PFAS, talc, formaldehyde, synthetic fragrances and so many more. All of these toxins are closely linked to resulting in cancer, contribute to fertility and reproductive challenges, reduce immune function, and interfere with hormones”
With the growing amount of research surrounding the dangers of toxics to our bodies and the environment, healthcare professionals have been urgently sounding the alarm on the importance of legislation like this; especially as industry continues to go unregulated in their practices.
"New Yorkers and health professionals struggle with how to reduce our daily exposures to toxic forever chemicals like PFAS," said Charles E. Moon III, MD, FAAP, Environmental Health & Climate Change Policy Coordinator for the New York State American Academy of Pediatrics. "We are pleased with the bill sponsors Senator Fernandez and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal for their leadership and for passing this legislation to remove PFAS and other harmful chemicals in feminine hygiene and menstrual products. This will make everyone's lives easier and healthier because they will no longer need to stress over reading ingredient labels and inadvertently exposing themselves to chemicals that have real health harms over the lifespan. This is an important step forward to prevent further PFAS contamination of our homes and communities."
Notably, with the signage of this bill, period product manufacturers have the opportunity to adjust their products, allowing a shift of the market across the country to those states that have not passed similar bills.
“The business community applauds sponsors Senator Fernandez and Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal for working hard to pass this important legislation,” said Bob Rossi, Executive Director of the New York Sustainable Business Council (NYSBC). “Our businesses and economy depend on a healthy citizenry, which is threatened by PFAS poisoning, especially in products that directly contact our skin. This bill will reduce the ways PFAS and other toxic chemicals enter our bodies and the environment, and it is imperative that we meet the growing consumer demand by transitioning quickly to safer alternatives.”
When fewer chemicals are used in the products we use, it inherently means that fewer toxic chemicals will be introduced to our environment. Thus, slowing down the toxic cycle we see far too much with industry.
“The Breast Cancer Coalition is proud to advocate with and on behalf of breast and gynecologic cancer survivors in New York State who demand an end to harmful chemicals in their menstrual products,” said Christina Thompson, Executive Director of the Breast Cancer Coalition. “By removing PFAS and other toxins from these products, this law will safeguard the health of millions of New Yorkers and reduce the risk of preventable diseases in future generations. We thank our assemblymembers and state senators for their continued dedication to our survivor community.”
"New Yorkers and our communities are inundated by exposure to toxic 'forever chemicals' (like PFAS) each and every day, and in ways that we don't even realize," said Caitlin Ferrante, Conservation Program Manager, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. "Ridding our environment of these ubiquitous toxins will improve public health and help to reduce the costs of healthcare and expensive filtration of drinking water. The passage and signing into law of A.1502/S.1548 will help limit yet another pathway of PFAS and other toxic chemicals exposure, in products used by more than half of the population, in the most intimate areas of their bodies. The Sierra Club is grateful for the leadership shown by Assemblymember Rosenthal and Senator Fernandez in getting this legislation passed in both houses this year.”
“Once again, New York has shown itself to be a leader in advancing common sense laws to protect consumers’ health and safety.” Debra Erenberg, Co-Executive Director, Weaving Voices for Health & Justice (formerly Women’s Voices for the Earth). “New York’s ban on toxics in menstrual products addresses many of the most harmful chemicals that have been found in tampons, pads, cups and menstrual underwear. The governor’s signature on this bill means companies will be required to take responsibility for the safety of their products, protecting New Yorkers and helping to drive industry-wide change.”
“Across New York, residents face a daily struggle of not knowing what products are safe, or will cause illness. Passing this legislation (A.1502/S.1548) is critical in limiting exposure to toxic chemicals in menstrual products, and protecting vulnerable populations, such as developing and adolescent females and menstruators, as well as lower-income individuals who have unstable access to the menstrual products.” said Niamh Moore, Director of Healthy Communities at Environmental Advocates NY. In New York, we are setting a standard that we will not accept the contamination of our products or further downstream contamination of our water and environment caused by these toxic chemicals. Environmental Advocates NY thanks New York State for taking an important step to protect the health and well-being of millions of New Yorkers from unnecessary and preventable harm”.
"Today New York State has stood up for the public health and the millions of New Yorkers who have been unknowingly exposed to harmful carcinogens and endocrine disruptors in menstrual products," said Kate Donovan, Director of Northeast Environmental Health at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). "New York has joined the growing list of states that have banned PFAS from menstrual products – protecting their citizens even as the Federal government continues to roll back safeguards."
“Menstrual products are some of the most essential consumer products on the market, and the 72 million people in this country who rely on them shouldn’t have to worry that they contain toxic chemicals, like lead or PFAS,” said Alex de Mucha Pino, Research and Policy Analyst for Earthjustice. “We applaud the signing of this legislation, which ensures that New York, one of the largest economies in the world, will shape the market by preventing the sale of menstrual products containing chemicals that are dangerous to health. A huge thank you is owed to Assemblymember Rosenthal, Senator Fernandez, and the environmental and consumer advocates that fought to get this bill across the finish line.”
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The Just Green Partnership is a 19 year old collaboration of environmental justice, environmental health, environmental health affected, children’s, and business organization working for environmental health and justice for New York’s people and communities. Learn more here.
