{"id":180142,"date":"2026-04-30T10:55:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T10:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/180142\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T10:55:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T10:55:17","slug":"pennsylvania-lawmakers-aim-to-ban-products-with-pfas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/180142\/","title":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania lawmakers aim to ban products with PFAS"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

Cosmetics, menstrual products, dental floss and children\u2019s items like bedding and playmats \u2014 these common household items could contain toxic PFAS chemicals.\n<\/p>\n

The so-called \u201cforever chemicals\u201d have been linked to serious health problems, including some cancers<\/a>, thyroid problems and reduced immune response.\n<\/p>\n

Now, lawmakers in Pennsylvania are taking steps that aim to protect consumers from these products. Legislators advanced legislation this week that would prohibit the manufacture or sale of certain products that intentionally contain PFAS beginning in 2028.\n <\/p>\n

The legislation was unanimously released from a state House committee, and now awaits a vote on the House floor. Bill sponsor state Rep. Greg Scott, D-Montgomery County, said he hopes the measure will spark awareness.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people just did not know that it\u2019s in these products. A lot of people don\u2019t know how it escapes these products,\u201d he said. \u201cSo learning about it and learning what PFAS is, how it can cause cancer and other bad illnesses, is a good first step.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Toxic PFAS chemicals have tainted water, air and soil in the U.S. for decades. The so-called \u201cforever\u201d chemicals don\u2019t break down naturally in the environment, and can remain in the human bloodstream for years.\n<\/p>\n

The group of chemicals are widely used in consumer products such as nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing, as well as in firefighting foam. There has been increasing concern about levels of the \u201cforever chemicals\u201d in drinking water, prompting state and federal regulations that require water providers to eliminate them in tap water.\n<\/p>\n

However, people are commonly exposed to PFAS by using a number of household products, including pots and pans, microwave popcorn bags, waterproof clothing and boots, stain-resistant carpet, cosmetics and food packaging.\n<\/p>\n

More than 98% of people are estimated to have varying levels of \u201cforever chemicals\u201d in their bloodstreams<\/a>, according to studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\n<\/p>\n

The chemicals are used by manufacturers because they can make products water and oil resistant. PFAS also don\u2019t break down chemically, or by heat.\n<\/p>\n

Scott\u2019s legislation focuses on four categories of household products: cosmetics, menstrual products, dental floss and children\u2019s items. Under the law, manufacturers would have to certify that products sold in the state do not contain PFAS.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[55808,28,30,29,8425,8427],"class_list":["post-180142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-forever-chemicals","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news","tag-pfas","tag-watershed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/180143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}