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ALBANY, NY — Legislators today announced the bills they are sponsoring to protect New Yorkers from exposure to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) through everyday household items such as textiles, dental floss, cleaning products, cookware, children’s products, cosmetics, and menstrual products. The bills also aim to address PFAS in the water and air. Additionally, the PFAS-Free NY campaign announced its New York State legislative action agenda for 2025 and launched its website www.PFASfreeNY.org.
The five bills that the PFAS-Free NY Campaign are calling on for passage include:
- Ban on PFAS in Consumer and Household Products (TBD/S187A)
- Beauty Justice Act (A2054/S2057)
- Ban on PFAS and other Toxics in Menstrual Products (A1502/S1548)
- Regulating PFAS as a Toxic Air Pollutant (S1493)
- PFAS Discharge Disclosure Act (TBD)
PFAS exposure is linked to a number of negative health outcomes, such as developmental issues and certain cancers. Just days ago, the Trump administration withdrew a Biden-administration EPA proposal to restrict PFAS discharge from industrial sites, prompting concern about health risks and regulatory gaps. This decision prioritizes industry interests over public health, delays much-needed federal standards, and forces states, like New York, to fill the regulatory void left by the federal government.
The JustGreen Partnership supports the bills and are part of the PFAS-Free NY Campaign, a coalition of environmental, public health and environmental justice organizations.The PFAS-Free NY Campaign includes the JustGreen Partnership [including member groups Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Clean+Healthy, Earthjustice, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), NY League of Conservation Voters, NY Sustainable Business Council, NY Chapter 2 of the American Academy of Pediatrics, PFOA Project NY, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, and WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Women’s Voices for the Earth) and Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls, Environmental Advocates NY, Environmental Working Group, New York Chapter of the NAACP, Newburgh Clean Water Project, Northeast Organic Farming Association-NY, Riverkeeper, Save the Sound, Rockland Water Coalition, and Sterling Water Stewards.
The following are quotes from speakers at today’s press conference in Albany:
“It’s well known that PFAS are among the most toxic and harmful chemicals known to humankind,” said Senator Harckham, Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. “If we are going to be serious about safeguarding our residents from these contaminants, then we must be doing everything possible to eliminate their use and reckless disposal in our environment. Thank you to my colleagues in the Senate and Assembly, and the advocates for their contributions and steadfast support on this critical issue.”
Senator Hoylman-Sigal said, “After years of progress targeting specific industries, it’s time to pass our legislation to phase out the sale of a wide range of products containing intentionally added PFAS (S.187A). PFAS, which pollutes our air and water, posing a serious threat to our environment, have also been found to cause significant health issues including cancer, liver and thyroid problems, hormone disruption, and decreased bone health. Let’s get these cancer causing pollutants out of New York State once and for all.”
“PFAS and other forever chemicals have become pervasive in our bodies and in the environment,” said Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, “the only way to end this toxic pollution is to stop using these chemicals in products and to vigilantly ensure we are removing them wherever they are found. Continued use of forever chemicals in packaging and personal care products creates a toxic loop that harms people and poisons the environment. Passing legislation, including the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act and the Beauty Justice Act, needs to happen this session, the climate and New Yorkers can’t wait.”
“There are real threats from the Trump administration for PFAS-contaminated drinking water since it among its first orders was rescinding a Biden-administration proposal to set limits on PFAS chemicals entering our water from industrial facilities. The risk of additional federal rollbacks on PFAS chemicals and other health protections makes the states’ roles more crucial than ever in prohibiting their the use of these chemicals consumer products and to ensure PFAS entering the environment from industrial sources is controlled,” said Kate Donovan, director of Northeast Environmental Health at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).
“States like New York play essential roles in safeguarding our health and the environment: they are laboratories for new policies and act in leadership roles on emerging threats like PFAS and other toxic chemicals, leading to changes in the national marketplace, and they serve as a backstop against public health erosions at the federal level. It is clear that in 2025 we urgently need New York’s steadfast fulfillment of both of these roles,” said Bobbi Wilding, Executive Director of Clean+Healthy, which with WE ACT for Environmental Justice co-leads the JustGreen Partnership. “New York State is not alone in advocating for action on PFAS and other toxic chemicals. Today, Safer States released its annual report documenting the widespread action on PFAS and other toxic chemicals in statehouses across the country showing that more than two thirds of states have pending legislation.”
“New York has led the way and is continuing to lead the way in protecting communities from harmful chemicals. Safer State’s analysis of anticipated state policy released today found that in 2025, at least 32 states will consider policies that seek to limit the use of hazardous chemicals, clean up pollution, increase ingredient transparency, and accelerate the development of safer solutions,” said Gretchen Salter, Policy Director at Safer States.
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law, and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd). Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.