Nearly a dozen everyday products could soon be banned under a new law in Minnesota as the state cracks down on toxic forever chemicals.
Beginning in January 2025, a new law will take effect banning the use of PFAS in 11 product categories in the North Star State, including carpets, dental floss, cosmetics, bedding and cookware.
Minnesota lawmakers have taken on PFAS before – enacting a law that went into effect this year banning the substances from food wrappers.
But officials say more needs to be done to protect the health of residents in a state where high levels of PFAS have been detected in water sources.
Under the new law, it will be illegal to sell or distribute any product among the 11 categories in the state of Minnesota
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PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of thousands of substances known as forever chemicals.
They are microscopic compounds that take thousands of years to break down in the environment or human body, hence their nickname.
There is no level of safe exposure to PFAS and they have been linked to multiple cancers, asthma, fertility problems, obesity, birth defects, diabetes and autism.
Minnesota Deputy Health Commissioner Wendy Underwood said: ‘Drinking water can be one source of exposure and there’s been a lot of news about this, but consumer products, especially products that are resistant to grease or oil stains and water, can be an even greater source of exposure.’
In just four months, PFAS will no longer be allowed in carpets or rugs, cleaning products, cookware, cosmetics, fabric treatments, juvenile products – such as cribs, booster seats and highchairs – menstruation products, textile furnishings like drapes and bedding, ski wax, dental floss and upholstered furniture.
Under the new law, it will be illegal to sell or distribute any product among the 11 categories in the state of Minnesota.
The ban is an expansion from last year’s legislation called Amara’s Law, named for a 20-year-old who advocated for PFAS-free water and products after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
The woman had lived her entire life in Minnesota and blamed her cancer diagnosis on PFAS exposure. She died in 2023.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will be responsible for enforcing the ban.
MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler said the agency already has experience in monitoring companies’ use of prohibited chemicals, such as lead and cadmium in kids’ products.
To enforce this ban, she said the agency will buy products suspected of containing the banned PFAS and test them for their presence.
If the products are found to contain the toxins, the MPCA will levy fines and civil penalties on the manufacturing companies.
Eventually, Minnesota lawmakers say the goal is to eliminate PFAS from all products by January 2032 unless a company can prove there is no way to avoid using the chemicals.
And while Minnesota-based companies have four months to tweak their products, some have gotten a head start.
Cookware brand Nordic Ware, based in St Louis Park, Minnesota, eliminated the use of PFAS in its cookware in June.
Jon Crawford, director of supply chain with the company, said Nordic Ware wanted to get ahead of the state’s PFAS ban and began finding substitutes for the forever chemicals used in its products that make them non-stick.
Two other Minnesota-based companies – Faribault Mill, a textile company that makes bedding, and Sigma Beauty – say they’ve never used PFAS in their products.
The state of Minnesota recently settled a PFAS-related lawsuit with manufacturing giant 3M, which is based in Maplewood, Minnesota.
3M is credited with inventing nonstick chemicals and was sued by the state, which sought costs for cleaning up groundwater contaminated with PFAS that officials claim spread from 3M dump sites.
The parties reached an out-of-court settlement for $850million.
America began using PFAS in the 1940s in virtually every manufacturing industry – from food packaging to kitchenware and clothing.
Their main purpose is to repel water and oil, which is what makes non-stick cookware easier to clean and why certain jackets and tents can withstand rain.
They are found in textiles, cookware, clothing, grease-resistant food packaging and personal care products. The chemicals can easily enter the body following contact with them.
They can also seep into the water supply from washing dishes and can enter food through its packaging.
