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Maine enacted a pioneering law on Thursday, ban The use of so-called “forever chemicals” in all products by 2030, except for cases considered “currently imperative”.
Maine is the first state in the United States and the first government in the world to implement a ban on the toxic chemicals per- and polyfluoroalkyl, known as PFAS, which are notorious for not degrading easily in the environment and can remain in a person’s body for decades after exposure.
Said Patrick McCroy, deputy director of Advocating for Our Health, a public health organization in Maine that coordinated with experts and community advocates to pass the bill.
Man-made chemicals can be found in soil, drinking water, air, food packaging, cosmetics, cooking utensils, various household products, and industrial workplaces – resulting in widespread human and environmental spread.
2015 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have found PFAS is found in 97% of Americans’ blood.
Democratic Representative Laurie Grammish, who sponsored the bill, Tell ReutersAnd the “PFAS is at crisis level here in Maine — it’s in soil, groundwater, household items, and it’s making people seriously ill.”
It was PFAS linked With many health effects, including low birth weight babies, liver and kidney disease, reproductive and immune system disorders, and cancer.
While the statewide ban doesn’t take effect until January 2030, manufacturers will have to start reporting the presence of PFAS chemicals in their products to the Maine Department of Environmental Quality starting in January 2023.
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Calls for stronger PFAS legislation at the state level, said Sarah Dole, national director of Safer States, a public health advocacy group.
Maine has emerged as a climate leader, having recently passed two additional notable environmental laws. In June it became the first state to pass a bill demanding the government filtering of fossil fuels by 2026 and on July 13 Janet Mills (D) Occurred A bill on recycling costs from taxpayers to businesses, the first of its kind in the country.
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