Eight decades after they were created, so-called forever chemicals lurk in much of what we eat, drink, and use. Now, federal regulators are taking action.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday said that grease-proofing materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, would no longer be sold for use in food packaging in the U.S. It described the move as a “voluntary market phaseout.”
“This means the major source of dietary exposure to PFAS from food packaging like fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, takeout paperboard containers and pet food bags is being eliminated,” Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for human foods, said in a statement.
It authorized certain PFAS for limited use in cookware, food packaging, and food processing equipment.
PFAS are a diverse group of thousands of chemicals that resist grease, oil, water and heat. They earned the moniker “forever chemicals” because they don’t easily break down in the environment.
As food packaging containing PFAS disintegrate over time, the chemicals collect in water that leaches out of landfills. According to a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey, nearly half of the nation’s tap water is estimated to have one or more types of PFAS.
PFAS are increasingly seen as a health threat because they accumulate in the environment and have been found in the bloodstreams of nearly every American. Long-term exposure has been linked to some cancers, including kidney and testicular cancer, fertility and thyroid problems, and other health effects.
The FDA’s announcement follows similar moves at the state level: 12 states, including California, have enacted much broader bans and phaseouts of PFAS in food packaging, according to Safer States, an environmental advocacy group. Some of these laws have already taken effect and are mandatory, not voluntary.
Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy organization, credited the state bans for forcing the FDA to act. But she said it was too soon to celebrate.
“While the FDA’s phaseout is a step forward, it falls short,” she said in a statement. “State bans on PFAS in food packaging are already in full force, surpassing the federal mandate. Until June 2025, PFAS-laden products could continue to line store shelves.”
More regulations are expected this year: The federal government is on the cusp of regulating forever chemicals out of America’s drinking water. Last year, the EPA proposed the first-ever legally enforceable levels for six PFAS known to occur in drinking water. The rules are expected to be finalized early this year.
“What began as a so-called miracle, groundbreaking technology meant for practicality and convenience quickly devolved into one of the most pressing environmental and public-health concerns in the modern world,” Michael Regan, the Environmental Protection Agency’s top official, said when announcing the proposed drinking-water regulations.
The strong carbon-fluorine bonds that make PFAS virtually indestructible are also what makes them ubiquitous in everyday life. The chemicals can also be found in dental floss, smartphones, cars, and firefighting foam. In 2020, scientists detailed more than 200 uses of PFAS chemicals in 64 industrial areas.
Write to Lauren Foster at [email protected]
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