California’s Governor has rejected a bill to phase out the use of PFAS “forever chemicals” in food packaging and certain consumer goods.
Gavin Newsom described the bill as “well-intentioned” but said he was concerned about the impact on costs for consumers.
The bill (SB 682), authored by Senator Ben Allen, was passed in the California’s legislature last month.
It aimed to prohibit the sale and distribution of “intentionally added” PFAS in a range of items, starting 2028.
The ban covered cookware, food packaging, cleaning products, dental floss, ski wax and specific children’s products.
Under the terms of the bill, cookware manufacturers using PFAS had to comply by 2030. Makers of certain cleaning products by 2031 and companies behind other listed products by 2028.
However, the bill did not secure Newsom’s signature. “I share the author’s goal to protect human health and the environment by phasing out the use of PFAS in consumer products,” Newsom said in a statement yesterday (13 October). “However, the broad range of products that would be impacted by this bill would result in a sizeable and rapid shift in cooking products available to Californians.”
He added: “I appreciate efforts to protect the health and safety of consumers and, while this bill is well-intentioned, I am deeply concerned about the impact this bill would have on the availability of affordable options of cooking products. I believe we must carefully consider the consequences that may result from a dramatic shift of products on our shelves.”
US states including Colorado, Connecticut and Minnesota have already banned PFAS in consumer products, including cookware.
Susan Little, the California legislative director for the NGO Environmental Working Group, said Newsom’s veto “is a major step backward for California’s leadership in protecting people and the planet from toxic PFAS”.
She added: “These chemicals have no place in everyday items like cookware. Millions of Americans safely cook without them since non-PFAS pots and pans are available, cook well and are affordable.”
