Minnesota poised to become first US state to ban ‘forever chemicals’ by 2025

Minnesota is poised to become the first state in the US to ban the use of ‘forever chemicals’ in everyday household items.

PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are found in almost every type of consumer good – including pots and pans, makeup, menstrual products and even carpets.

But amid rising concern about the chemicals — favored for their stain and heat-resistant qualities — and their link to fertility problems, liver damage and cancer, the state now plans to ban their use by 2025.

The prohibition, if signed into law, will be the most wide-reaching in America and could force companies to completely rethink their manufacturing processes.

A House-Senate conference committee in the state agreed on the details of the ban last Thursday.

The bill must now be passed by a vote and signed by Democrat Governor Tim Walz before it can become law.

Under the regulation, the use of PFAS in items where it is non-essential will be banned.

A long list of items that would be affected includes cleaning products, fabric treatments, furniture, ski wax and children’s toys.

The chemicals will still be allowed for use in firefighting foam at airports, oil refineries and in protective clothing for firefighters. 

Companies will also be required to disclose if the products they sell in Minnesota contain the chemicals.

Democrat Jeff Brand said: ‘This piece of legislation, when it passes and is signed by the Governor, will be a big new day in Minnesota.

‘It will be a legacy for clean water in the state of Minnesota but also for public health.’

PFAS chemicals do not break down in the environment but, instead, build-up in the air, water, soil and living organisms.

Studies suggest that more than 99 in 100 Americans have detectable levels of the chemicals in the blood, as a result.

Democrat Sydney Jordan, for Minneapolis, added: ‘This will be the strongest PFAS legislation in the nation.’

‘Minnesota invented PFAS. By passing this, Minnesota is going to invent the solution.’

Democrat Judy Seeberger, of Afton and lead sponsor of the bill, added: ‘We have a duty to lead the charge in their eradication from the environment from our bodies, from our consumer products, from our water.’

Politicians say they were pushed to act by the tireless campaigning of Amara Strande, 20, who died from liver cancer last month. She believed that her illness was caused by groundwater near her home being contaminated with PFAS.

Legislators plan to name the legislation ‘Amara’s law’ in her honor.

Her father Michael, said: ‘Through her pain and exhaustion, Amara was willing to be a voice of those who have become the victims of illnesses that are linked to these forever chemicals. 

‘Amara called on the lawmakers of Minnesota to do what is right in passing laws that will not only protect our environment, and human lives, but also force industries to find alternative ways of manufacturing their products without these deadly chemicals.’

Minnesota-based company 3M, or the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, played a significant role in the development of PFAS.

Pictured above is Michael Strande, the father of Amara who died from liver cancer aged 20 that she suggested was linked to exposure to PFAS chemicals. Her campaigning led legislators to work on bills banning PFAS chemicals

The business has since faced legal action over health risks linked to the chemicals and, as a result, began to phase out its production and develop alternatives.

If they come into force, Minnesota’s restrictions will be the harshest in the nation with the ban coming in five years ahead of a similar move in Maine.

Andrea Lovoll, legislative director for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, said the state’s rules were also harsher than California’s — which does not cover pots and pans.

Other states with restrictions include New York, which bans PFAS from being added to paper cups, plates and bowls, and Colorado, which prohibits its use in foams deployed in certain aircraft carriers.

The US Environmental Protection Agency last year designated the chemicals as hazardous substances under the Superfund law.

But the EPA stopped short of an outright ban, after warning that the compounds were more dangerous than previously thought and pose health risks even at extremely low levels.