Read the full article by Emily C. Dooley (Bloomberg Law)
“A coalition that decades ago fought heavy metals in food packaging is expanding its efforts, urging states from New Hampshire to California to ban ‘forever chemicals’ in all forms of packaging.
The Toxics In Packaging Clearinghouse developed landmark legislation in 1989 that led to limits on lead, mercury, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium in food packaging in 19 states. Now, in its first major update in decades, the group is circulating draft model language for a ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in any concentration.
‘There simply should be none in anything and the only way to guarantee that is nondetect,’ said John Gilkeson, Clearinghouse board chairman who also works for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
If adopted by states, the ban could affect anything from plastic wrapped around cucumbers to pizza boxes. That has drawn concerns from the chemical industry’s leading trade group.
PFAS are a family of thousands of chemicals, popular in carpeting, nonstick cookware, fast food wrappers, firefighting foam, and other products because they don’t break down in water and are stain-resistant. But the qualities that make PFAS popular in consumer goods also mean the substances have persisted in the environment, contaminating water, the food supply, and air.
‘When you look across the country, there are so many facets to it,’ Gilkeson said in a phone interview.
Certain forms of PFAS can accumulate in the human body, leading to higher blood pressure in pregnant women, some cancers, changes in liver enzymes, and increased cholesterol, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, which is part of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…”