Certain types of cookware, car seats, fabric treatments, personal care items and rugs, among other items, could be banned should a Massachusetts bill be signed into law.
Massachusetts state Senator Julian Cyr and state Representative Kate Hogan, both Democrats, have co-authored a bill called An Act to Protect Massachusetts Public Health From PFAS. If it passes through the Legislature and is signed into law, it will ban the production and sale of certain products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
PFAS encompass thousands of man-made chemicals found in everyday items such as nonstick cookware, firefighting foams, grease-resistant food wrappers and water-resistant clothing. Because of the long time it takes them to break down, PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” can cause harm in high exposure amounts. PFAS can seep into the soil and water supply during the breakdown process. Recently, the presence of PFAS in the U.S. water supply has prompted further examination of the chemicals.
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In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced legally enforceable limits for some PFAS compounds when found in water, prompting municipalities across the nation to examine their water treatment systems more closely. Some municipalities have proposed higher water bills to help finance improved systems.
However, the Massachusetts lawmakers hope to reduce the contamination at the source after multiple streams and rivers throughout the state tested positive for PFAS contamination, according to a report by the Telegram & Gazette.
“No manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler or retailer shall offer for sale, sell or distribute in the commonwealth any products to which PFAS have been intentionally added, unless the department has determined that the use of PFAS in the product is a currently unavoidable use and grants a temporary exemption at intervals of no more than 3 years,” the bill said.
Newsweek reached out to Cyr and Hogan by email for comment.
Lawsuits against manufacturers have already started to crop up across the nation because of PFAS exposure from products. Earlier this year, a man in Ohio filed a lawsuit against two dozen companies after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent an orchiectomy at age 29. The lawsuit alleges that the man’s water source was contaminated by a fire suppressant containing PFAS.
High levels of certain PFAS can cause heightened cholesterol, decreased vaccine responses in children, changes in liver enzymes, increased risk of high blood pressure or preeclampsia in pregnant women, decreases in birth weight and an increased risk of kidney or testicular cancer, according to a U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry webpage dedicated to PFAS.
In addition to introducing the legally enforceable PFAS limits in water in April, the EPA is funding research looking into how PFAS contaminate the U.S. food supply.