States Are Banning Forever Chemicals. Industry Is Fighting Back

New Mexico is the third state to pass a PFAS ban through the legislature.

At least 29 states have PFAS-related bills before state legislatures this year .

The chemical and consumer products industries have taken notice of this new wave of regulations and are mounting a counterattack, lobbying state legislatures to advocate for the safety of their products.

Cookware Sustainability Alliance has had a busy year , testifying in 10 statehouses against PFAS restrictions.

Unlike other states, the New Mexico bill specifically exempts fluoropolymers, a key ingredient in nonstick cookware and a type of PFAS chemical, from the coming bans.

The industry has also seen success overseas: France excluded kitchenware from its recent PFAS ban.

A federal definition like this could “have a chilling effect on state legislation going forward,” an environmental activist says.

The American Chemistry Council recommends the agency adopt a government-wide definition of PFAS .

The group emphasized the need to “recognize that PFAS are a broad class of chemistries with very diverse and necessary properties”.