Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com
PFAS task force recommends phase-outs, banning, and regulation
The task force has been studying PFAS for a year.
The Massachusetts PFAS Interagency Task Force, which was tasked with studying how the chemicals affect bodies and lives, came out with its final report Wednesday, according to State House News Service (SHNS).
A certain level of exposure to PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer, liver disease, high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, and low infant birth weights, according to the CDC.
SHNS reported that the task force, created by the Massachusetts Legislature last year, recommended the state regulate PFAS chemicals as a class, prohibit the sale of products with knowingly-added PFAS, and educate the public on PFAS and their dangers.
Advertisement:
Currently, PFAS can be found everywhere — in clothes, food, cookware, and maybe even in water.
In all likelihood, most people already have low levels of PFAS in their bodies. PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” can take a very long time to break down.
SHNS reported that the task force’s report has 30 recommendations that fall under eight categories:
- Funding PFAS detection and reversing the damage done by the chemicals.
- Supporting environmental justice for communities affected by PFAS.
- Phasing out PFAS from consumer products.
- Implementing stricter PFAS regulations.
- Encouraging testing of private wells for PFAS and remedying the problem if found.
- Supporting firefighters and fire departments whose gear and firefighting are rife with PFAS due to the chemicals’ high heat resistance.
- Holding people and organizations accountable for PFAS contamination.
- Increasing public awareness of PFAS and its harms.
Specific recommendations from the task force include outlawing the sale of products with knowingly-added PFAS by 2030, SHNS reported. Products identified as being a priority for phasing out PFAS, including textiles, food packaging, and children’s products, would be targeted for an earlier phase-out.
Advertisement:
“This language differentiates between PFAS that manufacturers know they’re using and PFAS that they do not know they’re using, basically,” task force co-chair and House Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan told SHNS.
“Manufacturers may not know they’re using PFAS because suppliers consider their formulas confidential business and do not share. In the future, we may evaluate regulating unintentionally-added PFAS.”
Additionally, the task force recommended an official definition of PFAS for the state to use, and that it regulate the chemicals as a class, according to SHNS.
MASSPIRG, a consumer protection nonprofit, said in a statement that this recommendation is key in preventing a “whack-a-mole approach” where companies using PFAS substitute one PFA chemical that was recently banned for another in their products.
Currently, in Massachusetts, only six PFAS are regulated.
Local
The task force, which was made up of a range of state officials and medical professionals, was united in supporting the recommendations, SHNS reported.
State Sen. Julian Cyr and Hogan, who co-chaired the task force, said they want to get started on executing the recommendations by adding them to other bills during the current legislative session, according to SHNS.
However, the service reported, they also indicated they want to pass a bigger PFAS legislative package next year.
Advertisement:
The task force report did not specify how much it would cost to implement its recommendations, according to SHNS. Still, Cyr and Hogan are open about the fact that there will be quite the price tag.
SHNS reported that the legislators hope to use money from many coffers, including remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds and money from a recently passed federal infrastructure law.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com