Nearly a dozen everyday products could soon be banned under a new Minnesota law as the state cracks down on toxic chemicals for good.
Beginning in January 2025, a new law will go into effect that will ban the use of PFAS in 11 product categories in the North Star State, including carpets, dental floss, cosmetics, bedding and cookware.
Minnesota lawmakers have already addressed the issue of PFAS, passing a law that went into effect this year banning the substances from food packaging.
But officials say more needs to be done to protect the health of residents in a state where high levels of PFAS have been detected in water sources.
PFAS are found in fabrics, cookware, clothing, water, cosmetics, food packaging and personal care products.
PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of thousands of substances known as forever chemicals.
They are microscopic compounds that take thousands of years to decompose in the environment or in the human body, hence their nickname.
There is no safe level of exposure to PFAS and they have been linked to multiple cancers, asthma, fertility problems, obesity, birth defects, diabetes and autism.
Minnesota Deputy Health Commissioner Wendy Underwood said, “Drinking water can be a source of exposure and there’s been a lot of news about that, but consumer products, especially products that are resistant to grease or oil stains and water, can be an even greater source of exposure.”
In just four months, PFAS will no longer be allowed in carpets or rugs, cleaning products, kitchenware, cosmetics, fabric treatments, children’s products (such as cribs, booster seats, and high chairs), menstrual products, textile items such as curtains and bedding, ski wax, dental floss, and upholstered furniture.
Under the new law, it will be illegal to sell or distribute any product in the 11 categories in the state of Minnesota.
The ban is an expansion of last year’s legislation called Amara’s Law, named after a 20-year-old who advocated for PFAS-free water and products after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
The woman had lived in Minnesota all her life and attributed her cancer diagnosis to PFAS exposure. She died in 2023.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will be responsible for enforcing the ban.
MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler said the agency already has experience monitoring companies’ use of banned chemicals, such as lead and cadmium in children’s products.
To enforce the ban, the agency said, it will purchase products suspected of containing the banned PFAS and test them for their presence.
If products are found to contain toxins, the MPCA will impose fines and civil penalties on the manufacturing companies.
Ultimately, Minnesota lawmakers say the goal is to eliminate PFAS from all products by January 2032 unless a company can show there is no way to avoid using the chemicals.
And although Minnesota-based companies have four months to adjust their products, some have gotten a head start.
St. Louis Park, Minnesota-based cookware brand Nordic Ware eliminated the use of PFAS in its cookware in June.
Jon Crawford, the company’s director of supply chain, said Nordic Ware wanted to get ahead of the state’s PFAS ban and began finding substitutes for the permanent chemicals used in its products that make them nonstick.
Two other Minnesota-based companies — Faribault Mill, a textile company that makes bedding, and Sigma Beauty — say they have never used PFAS in their products.
The state of Minnesota recently settled a PFAS-related lawsuit with manufacturing giant 3M, which is based in Maplewood, Minnesota.
3M is credited with inventing the anti-stick chemicals and was sued by the state, which sought payment for the costs of cleaning up PFAS-contaminated groundwater that officials say spread from 3M landfills.
The parties reached an out-of-court settlement for $850 million.
The United States began using PFAS in the 1940s in virtually every manufacturing industry, from food packaging to cookware to clothing.
Its main purpose is to repel water and oil, which makes non-stick cookware easier to clean and why certain jackets and tents can withstand rain.
They are found in textiles, cookware, clothing, grease-resistant food packaging and personal care products. The chemicals can easily enter the body after contact with them.
They can also seep into the water supply when washing dishes and enter food through its packaging.