On May 2, State Senator Christine Cohen voted to advance a bill furthering a ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In 2021, as the former Senate Chair of the Environment Committee, Cohen passed a narrow ban on these toxic ‘forever chemicals’ that prohibited use in class B firefighting foam and food packaging.

“When I first joined the Senate in 2019, we got right to work on the issue of PFAS, and I started to learn more about the impacts of PFAS on the environment and human health - it is an endocrine disruptor and a carcinogen that has been found in consumer products and drinking water across our state, including the town of Killingworth that I represent,” said Cohen. “We need to take on this challenge with a significant urgency, and I am proud of the work we are furthering today here in Connecticut and grateful that President Biden has dedicated billions of dollars to PFAS remediation as well.”

The legislation expands the ban to include any soil treatments that contain PFAS beginning Oct. 1, 2024.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2028 the bill will prohibit the sale or distribution of the following items, should they have PFAS added: apparel, carpets, or rugs; cleaning products, cookware, cosmetics, dental floss, fabric treatments, children’s productions, menstruation products, textile furnishings, and ski wax.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, manufacturers who use PFAS in the aforementioned products will be required to submit a report to DEEP that includes a product description, why PFAS is in the product and the amount of PFAS in it.

Lastly, the bill explicitly specifies that school districts are eligible for funding from the General Fund’s PFAS testing account to test for and remediate PFAS contamination in drinking water supplies.