Global Courant 2023-05-10 03:36:24
Minnesota lawmakers are poised to ban non-essential uses of “forever chemicals.” The legislation will be named after a woman who spent the last months of her life campaigning for tighter restrictions on chemicals she believes caused her liver cancer. “Amara’s Law” allows only limited exceptions to the ban, such as fire-fighting foam used in airports and oil refineries and in protective clothing for firefighters.
Minnesota is about to ban non-essential uses of “forever chemicals.” And lawmakers say they are naming the legislation after a woman who spent the last months of her life campaigning for restrictions that will be among the strictest in the country.
Lawmakers, environmentalists and family members paid tribute to Amara Strande on Tuesday. She died of a rare form of liver cancer two days before her 21st birthday last month. She grew up in suburban St. Paul where the groundwater is contaminated with PFAS and she believed the chemicals were part of the cause of her cancer, which was diagnosed when she was 15.
“Through her pain and exhaustion, Amara was willing to be a voice for those who have fallen victim to illnesses related to these eternal chemicals,” said her father, Michael Strande. “Amara called on Minnesota lawmakers to do the right thing by passing laws that not only protect our environment and human life, but also force industries to find alternative ways to manufacture their products without these deadly chemicals.”
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have spread all over the world and do not degrade in the environment. They have been linked to a wide variety of health problems, including low birth weight and certain cancers. The chemicals have been used in many consumer and industrial products since the 1940s, including nonstick pans, fast-food packaging, fabrics and fire-fighting foam.
“I’ve fought cancer with every ounce of my being for the past five years. And I will for the rest of my life,” Amara Strande said at an emotional press conference with lawmakers and her parents when they announced the legislation in January. “Companies must stop producing these toxins and be held accountable and pay for the damage they have caused. It was through no fault of my own that I was exposed to these toxic chemicals. And as a result, I will die with this cancer.”
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“Amara’s Law” allows only limited exceptions to the ban, such as fire-fighting foam used in airports and oil refineries and in protective clothing for firefighters. It also requires companies to disclose whether the products they sell in Minnesota contain the chemicals. The ban would come into effect in 2025 for a long list of products, including carpets, cleaning products, cookware, cosmetics, dental floss, fabric and fabric treatments, furniture, children’s products, menstrual products and ski wax.
A House and Senate congressional committee negotiating the details of a broad environmental and natural resources bill last Thursday reached agreement on the PFAS language that will be included. The Democratic administration Tim Walz and his administration support the ban. He is expected to sign it after the House and Senate complete work on the final package.
“This will be the strongest PFAS legislation in the country,” said Minneapolis Democratic Representative Sydney Jordan, who went on to say, “Minnesota invented PFAS. By passing this, Minnesota is going to invent the solution.”
Minnesota is preparing for a near-total ban on cancer-causing “forever chemicals.” (Fox news)
Proponents said Minnesota has a special responsibility because the chemicals were invented by Maplewood-based 3M, which announced in December that it would stop manufacturing PFAS and ending its use in its products.
“We have a duty to lead the charge in its eradication from the environment, from our bodies, from our consumer products, from our water,” said Democratic Senator Judy Seeberger of Afton, the Senate Majority Sponsor. She said it’s a personal issue because her home well is contaminated with PFAS, requiring her to use a filtration system to get safe water.
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Andrea Lovell, legislative director of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, said Minnesota’s legislation goes further than any other state and has the strictest list of what counts as nonessential uses. For example, she said California’s restrictions don’t cover cookware or require as many elaborate disclosures. So far, she said, Maine has had the strictest restrictions. But Maine’s 2021 law mandates a phase-out by 2030, while Minnesota’s law takes effect more quickly.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed the chemicals as hazardous materials under the Superfund Act last year. But the EPA dropped an outright ban after warning that the compounds were more dangerous than previously thought and pose health risks even at extremely low levels.
