Amends the Environmental Conservation Law to phase out the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in certain products, including textile articles, rugs, fabric treatments, cookware, ski waxes, architectural paints, dental floss, and cleaning products.
This bill addresses contamination at the source by phasing out toxic PFAS chemicals in a range of consumer and household products. PFAS are a class of thousands of “forever chemicals” which, despite evidence showing their harm on human health and the environment, have been used for decades in a wide array of industrial processes and consumer products. With PFAS-free alternatives for these products already on the market, this bill will protect New Yorkers’ health and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars without impacting product availability.
This bill phases out these chemicals in products like fabric treatments, cookware, ski wax, cleaning products, architectural paints, and dental floss. According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, PFAS can be bought for $50 – $100 per pound, but costs between $2.7 million and $18 million per pound to remove and eliminate from municipal wastewater, this bill will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in environmental cleanup and health care costs by preventing initial contamination. States like Minnesota, Vermont, Colorado, and others have already banned or are in the process of banning the use of PFAS in these products. It is time for New York to follow suit.
Our health, communities, businesses, and economy are all threatened by PFAS poisoning. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has concluded that there is no safe level of exposure to numerous PFAS chemicals. New Yorkers, in many cases unknowingly, are exposing themselves to PFAS contamination through everyday products; cookware in particular. Further, New York has been an epicenter of PFAS pollution, with a significant drinking water contamination crisis in Hoosick Falls, Newburgh, and across Long Island. The intentional and unintentional addition of PFAS to consumer products during the manufacturing process results in the discharge of PFAS chemicals into the environment affecting the quality of our drinking water, and the health of all New Yorkers.
You’ll be less likely to encounter toxic “forever chemicals” in everyday products like clothing, cookware, and cosmetics.
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