Cape and Islands State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro)
HYANNIS – Legislation that would ban the use of PFAS in products has been filed by state lawmakers.
Cape and Islands State Senator Julian Cyr, who helped spearhead the effort, says the legislation would ban the substance in food packaging by 2026.
It would also prohibit the sale of other products with PFAS by 2030, with possible state-approved exceptions like component parts in certain machinery.
“The bill outlines a process by which we define PFAS as a class of chemicals that are regulated in Massachusetts, and then there is a process by which certain essential uses of PFAS can be approved by the state,” said Cyr.
He said that he expects pushback from manufacturers, but says that PFAS has become a public health risk that cannot be ignored and will likely cost the region millions in cleanup costs in the coming years.
“We needed to not address it in a piecemeal fashion. Not ‘this bill was filed to protect firefighters’ or ‘that bill w related to consumer products and food packaging,’ but to really look comprehensively at the problem and have a roadmap to get it done,” said Cyr.
It will also create a remediation fund to address contamination cleanup efforts across the region, which will utilize money from both appropriations and legal action against manufacturers that are responsible for damages.
Cyr cited lawsuits by both Governor Maura Healey when she was attorney general as well as current AG Andrea Joy Campbell.
Other supporters of the bill include 3rd Middlesex District State Representative Kate Hogan.
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