On Wednesday, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law a bipartisan bill, LD 1911, that is the first in the nation to ban the spreading of sludge and sludge-derived compost as fertilizer. Sludge has been the source of widespread contamination from PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), known as “forever chemicals,” forcing family farms to shut down and poisoning drinking water wells of entire communities. The law bans the use of sludge as a soil amendment. 

Today, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed the first-ever state law (S. 113) that gives individuals the right to seek medical monitoring of diseases linked to toxic chemical exposures from corporate polluters. It would also allow the State of Vermont to sue the companies that make dangerous chemicals for the harm they cause to Vermont’s air, land, water, and public facilities. The law makes Vermont the first state in the nation to place in statute the responsibility of corporate polluters, instead of victims, to pay for medical monitoring for diseases linked to toxic chemical exposure.

Today, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill (HB 1694) into law that will tackle PFAS “forever chemicals” in a broad range of products on the fastest timeline in the nation, by 2025. Product categories include apparel, cosmetics, and firefighter personal protective equipment. Rep. Liz Berry (D-Seattle) sponsored the measure, which received broad bipartisan support.

Safer States analyzed state-level policies on toxic chemical regulation, finding that at least 32 states will consider policies in 2022. Safer States anticipates that at least 210 policies will be under consideration in 2022 and efforts to combat toxic PFAS chemicals will continue to be the most prevalent issue.

On December 31, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law a groundbreaking bipartisan bill restricting the use of flame retardants in furniture, mattresses, and electronic displays. While several states have passed similar legislation, New York is now the first in the U.S. to also include a prohibition on organohalogen flame retardants (OFRs) in electronic enclosures such as televisions. This new law mirrors a similar prohibition adopted by the European Union.

Today the bipartisan Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and in the House of Representatives by Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Don Young (R-Alaska).  The legislation will ban the use of any perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) as a food contact substance.