New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan introduces bill to ban PFAS in food wrappers

New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan has introduced a bill to ban per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in food wrappers and packaging, reports New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR).

PFAS chemicals have historically been an issue in fast-food packaging, with a 2017 study finding that fluorinated chemicals were prevalent in fast food packaging and could contribute significantly to PFAS exposure in our diets.

Hassan’s proposed legislation would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit food packaging containing “intentionally added PFAS.” The “Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act of 2021” would go into effect in 2024.

In an interview with NHPR, Hassan said efforts to address PFAS have focused on large-scale contamination of groundwater from manufacturing operations, but chemicals in food wrappers also contribute to the problem.

“Those products then go into our landfills and degrade over time and the chemicals contaminate the groundwater,” Hassan said. “So, it's really important that we remove PFAS from as many products as we can.”

A previous “Keep Food Containers Safe from PFAS Act” was introduced by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan in 2019 and sought to deem PFAS chemicals unsafe.

Rep. Dingell and Rep. Don Young of Alaska introduced a House version of Hassan’s bill on Nov. 18. The 2021 bill takes a more targeted approach, focusing on food wrappers and packaging, and was drafted based on feedback from the 2019 bill, according to a representative from Senator Hassan’s office.