A new paper from Northeastern University’s PFAS Project Lab and researchers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) reaches the sobering conclusion that over 57,000 sites in the U.S. have “presumptive contamination” from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”).
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Chemicals
California Bans PFAS “Forever Chemicals” in Clothing, Textiles, and Cosmetics
By Joseph J. Green on
California joined the growing list of states to ban products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) when, on September 29th, Governor Newsom signed into law legislation prohibiting the so-called “forever chemicals” in apparel, textiles, and cosmetics. The ban goes into…
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Maine Makes a Bold Move in Banning Most PFAS-Containing Products
By Joseph J. Green & Zachary Lee on
Last month, the Maine legislature introduced broad and sweeping restrictions on a range of products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). These restrictions are some of the most comprehensive in the country, and, in effect, would ban PFAS in almost…
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PFAS and TRI: More, Lots More, to Come
By Joseph J. Green & Zachary Lee on
Given today’s incessant media coverage and regulatory attention to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and their widespread presence in a host of products, it may seem surprising at first that the recently published 2021 Toxic Release Inventory (“TRI”) preliminary data…
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EPA Expands List of PFAS Subject to Toxic Release Inventory Reporting
By Joseph J. Green & Zachary Lee on
Earlier this week, on July 18, 2022, U.S. EPA issued a final rule that subjects five new per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) to the Toxics Release Inventory (“TRI”) reporting requirements under Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know…
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EPA Releases 2020 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Data, Plans to Eliminate De Minimis Exemption for PFAS
By Joseph J. Green on
Earlier this week, U.S. EPA released the agency’s 2020 TRI National Assessment Report, which includes data from first-time reports filed for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In releasing the report, EPA indicated that it was concerned by “the seemingly limited…
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The Prop 65 Pandemic: No Covid Slow-Down for Enforcement
By Joseph J. Green on
While the Covid-19 pandemic caused all sorts of disruptions to society and the economy, at least one area of business has thrived over the last two years: private plaintiff enforcement of California Proposition 65. In 2020-2021, over 40% more Prop…
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EPA “Fenceline Communities Screening Strategy” Aims to Advance Environmental Justice Agenda
By Joseph J. Green on
EPA released this past Friday the agency’s draft strategy for examining health and environmental risks in communities that reside near facilities that emit chemicals undergoing TSCA review. The “fenceline communities screening strategy” is an initial and explicit injection of “environmental…
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California Tweaks Proposed Revisions to Limit Use of Prop 65 “Short Form” Warnings (Updated)
By Joseph J. Green on
Almost a year after initially proposing revisions that would substantially curtail use of the popular “short form” warnings under Proposition 65 (see my prior blog post for more details), the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has…
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EPA Proposes Extension Until 2024 for Compliance with Problematic PBT Rule
By Joseph J. Green on
As the U.S. EPA embarks on a full review of regulations addressing the sale, distribution and use of five “persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic” (PBT) substances, the agency already is proposing to extend until 2024 the compliance date with the existing…
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