Maine approved the prohibition of PFAS in consumer goods

What are PFAS?

PFAS are human-made chemicals that, according to U.S. EPA, are used across a variety of industries for manufacturing and in products including stain- and water-repellent fabrics, nonstick products, polishes, waxes, paints, cleaning products, fire-fighting foams, and other materials. The Maine law defines PFAS as “substances that include any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.”

Notification Requirements

At present, the Maine legislature has passed bill h.p.1113 - L.D. 1503 into law to prevent perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution.

prohibit

After the effective date, the following products containing intentionally added PFAS are prohibited from being sold or distributed in Maine:

If it is determined that the use of PFAS cannot be avoided at present, the ban on consumer goods can be exempted.

declare

From January 1, 2023, for products containing intentionally added PFAS sold in Maine, the manufacturer shall submit a written notification to the Ministry of environmental protection.

Brief product description

Use of PFAS in products

Content of each PFAS in the product

Name, address and contact information of the manufacturer

Any other information required by the Ministry of environmental protection

Certificate of conformity

When the Ministry of environmental protection suspects that the product contains intentionally added PFAS, the manufacturer needs to provide a certificate to prove that the product does not contain intentionally added PFAS.

Note:

Fabric treatment: a substance applied to fabric to make the fabric have one or more properties, including but not limited to antifouling or waterproof.