Read the full article by Joe Beeton (C&EN)
“California lawmakers have rejected legislation that would have phased out pesticides containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Instead, they are considering a revised version of A.B. 1603.
Despite the failure to approve a ban in the senate, advocacy group and bill cosponsor the Environmental Working Group (EWG) says the measure, one of the first of its kind in the country, sets the stage for future state-led efforts to address PFAS in pesticides.
At its core, A.B. 1603 has exposed a broader regulatory divide over PFAS. Industry groups argued that pesticides should continue to be evaluated individually through the US Environmental Protection Agency’s risk-based registration process. Supporters of the bill countered that PFAS should instead be regulated as a chemical class, arguing that evaluating thousands of structurally related compounds one at a time is impractical and leaves potential gaps in oversight.
The bill represents ‘a growing concern and interest in regulating PFAS chemicals as a class,’ Susan Little, the EWG’s California legislative director, tells C&EN. The actions ‘reflect the state legislature’s relationship with the state’s agricultural industry . . . not its concerns about PFAS,’ Little says.”…