Fluoropolymers’ myriad uses mean a ban could have widespread implications. A full-scale furor is erupting in Europe, pitting industry against government. The European Commission (EC) is proposing that all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) be banned because it says they are persistent, can be toxic, and can bioaccumulate in organisms—including people. The ban would include […]
Consumer groups are condemning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for allowing plastic containers made with toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” to continue being distributed across the economy – even though the agency is suing a top manufacturer over the dangerous compounds leaching into containers’ contents, such as food or personal care products. The groups are now […]
New PFAS threshold values applicable to soil testing will start on August 1, 2023. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) constitute a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals that are widely used in various consumer and industrial products. Because of their suspected mobility and persistency, PFAS chemicals are said to accumulate in the food chains and […]
Over the past 85 years, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have worked their way into numerous applications across countless industries. The MedTech industry is no exception. From dental floss to inhalers, ventilators, artificial heart pumps, pacemakers, contact lenses, surgical drapes and gowns, and countless other items, the family of PFAS chemicals is vital to many […]
The well-known group of chemicals, which consists of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, has been widely used since the 1950s in everything from nonstick cookware to water-repellent clothing to stain-resistant fabrics to flame retardants to cosmetics. But it’s not just in the products we use, it’s also in our soil, our drinking water and the air […]
In September 2022, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) proposed to designate perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (“PFOS”), including their salts and structural isomers, as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), also known as “Superfund.” EPA received over sixty-thousand comments on its proposal during the 60-day public […]
Based on public health and environmental protection concerns and in response to several petitions which requested EPA to take regulatory action on PFAS under RCRA, EPA is evaluating the existing toxicity and health effects data on four PFAS constituents to determine if they should be listed as RCRA Hazardous Constituents. If the existing data for […]
On October 18, 2021, EPA released its PFAS Strategic Roadmap which builds on and accelerates implementation of existing plans to address PFAS and commits to bolder new policies to address PFAS in the environment. The proposal to designate PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances was one of several actions mentioned in the Strategic Roadmap. Such […]
On July 25, 2023, 12 members of the House sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging EPA “to conduct a rigorous, comprehensive, and transparent assessment of the risks of [per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)] in fluorinated containers.” The letter states that EPA is mandated by the Toxic Substances Control […]
It was the dead cows on Wilbur Tennant’s farm that shaped most of Rob Bilott’s professional life. Tennant’s farm was located in Parkersburg, W. Va.; Bilott was—and remains—an environmental lawyer at the firm of Taft Stettinius & Hollister in Cincinnati. All had been well for Tennant until 1998, when half of his herd of 300 […]