Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday signed a unanimously passed bill that will largely eliminate the use of PFAS, a family of widely used “permanent chemicals,” but warned lawmakers that the law must be changed.
Unlike versions passed in other states, Connecticut‘s new law lacks an exemption process to keep a product on the market when there is no reasonable alternative, Lamont said in the letter he signed.
Lamont said that could mean, among other things, that Teflon nonstick pans might not be available in Connecticut after Jan. 1, 2028.
There are PFAS-free nonstick cookware available, but he wrote that “there may be challenges in manufacturing and widespread distribution of affordable cookware and other product categories, such as outdoor clothing made with alternatives to PFAS that perform with similar functionality. “
Lamont suggested that the legislature continue to review the issue with an eye toward evaluating whether certain PFAS chemicals should be exempt or provide an exemption or exemption process that is missing from the law.
It’s a flaw for which Lamont bears some responsibility: A waiver process would cost money, and the Lamont administration discouraged legislation that would impose costs.
Rep. Joe Gresko, D-Stratford, co-chairman of the Environment Committee, said the lack of a waiver process was a deliberate response to the administration’s fiscal reprimand.
“If you want me to come back next session and modify it, I’ll be more than happy to do that. I was working with the hand I was dealt,” Gresko said.
The governor acknowledged in the letter he signed that the lack of a waiver process was due to fiscal concerns, not an oversight.
In April, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the nation’s first drinking water standards for six types of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances commonly known as PFAS.
Long-lasting synthetic chemicals do not break down naturally and have been linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer, liver problems, and developmental damage.
EPA standards apply to only a fraction of the more than 15,000 variants of the chemical.
In January, Connecticut filed two lawsuits accusing chemical manufacturers of covering up the dangers of PFAS for decades.
The two lawsuits were organized by the two markets for products containing PFAS chemicals: aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, used in firefighting; and an extraordinarily wide range of consumer products, including food packaging, kitchenware, carpets, upholstery, clothing and cosmetics.
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