Removing PFAS from products expected to slash their impact on the environment and human health
While a lot of concern about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the “forever chemicals” also known as PFAS, centers around their contamination of water and land, PFAS became so ubiquitous in our environment in part from their use in consumer products.
It would only make sense, then, to reduce use of PFAS in the products we buy. Minnesota’s PFAS Blueprint called for an end to nonessential PFAS use and that’s exactly the goal of a new law in Minnesota — known as Amara’s Law — that aims to prevent PFAS pollution by prohibiting their use in new products sold or distributed in the state.
What exactly does the law mean for your next trip to the store or online purchase, though? How can you make sure that the things you’re buying are not made with PFAS? And what should you do with products containing PFAS you already own?
What will change in 2025?
While at least 25 states have laws limiting PFAS use, Minnesota's PFAS prevention measures are some of the most comprehensive. Before dying of cancer in April 2023 at the age of 20, East Metro resident Amara Strande campaigned for a bill reducing PFAS in consumer products. Her efforts helped inspire the Minnesota Legislature to pass the bill, signed into law that June.
While other Minnesota laws already prohibit the use of PFAS in food packaging and firefighting foam, the law will require new products sold or distributed in 11 categories be made without PFAS beginning in January 2025. Those categories include:
- carpets or rugs, including outdoor carpet and car floor mats
- cleaning products, including detergents and stain removers
- cookware
- cosmetics
- dental floss
- fabric treatments
- juvenile products, including car seats, children’s clothing, and toys for children under 12
- menstruation products, including tampons and disposable and reusable pads
- ski wax
- textile furnishings, including draperies, bedding, and towels
- upholstered furniture
While it’s too soon to know exactly how these prohibitions will change the shopping experience for Minnesotans in January, there are already many products in these categories made without PFAS and more are on the way.
“Removing PFAS from products makes it easier for consumers who want to avoid the chemicals,” says MPCA Assistant Commissioner Kirk Koudelka. “This also reduces the amount of PFAS entering the environment when the products are manufactured, used, and disposed of.”
The law also requires all manufacturers to report use of PFAS in their products starting in 2026. Then in 2032, the law prohibits nonessential use of PFAS in all products, not just those in the 11 categories above.
Why prohibit PFAS?
PFAS were invented in the 1940s, then gained widespread adoption in products and manufacturing processes once manufacturers saw how well they helped products resist stains and repel water. With PFAS, manufacturers could create better non-stick coatings for cookware and spray-on flame retardants.
But the same properties that allowed PFAS to excel in those applications also keep PFAS from breaking down in the environment, thus the “forever chemical” nickname. Decades after products containing PFAS are disposed of, the PFAS contamination that they created can still be found in the air, water, and soil.
Long-term exposure to PFAS in even small amounts can affect human health. Exposure to some PFAS are associated with an elevated risk of negative health outcomes, including impaired immune systems, liver problems, lower birthweight, and certain cancers.
Cleaning up PFAS is no simple matter. It’s costly and takes time, and as a result, Minnesota’s PFAS Blueprint prioritizes prevention of PFAS pollution. Phasing PFAS out of products and out of the manufacturing processes that create those products helps meet that priority and reduces the risk of human exposure to PFAS for generations to come.
It’s not an impossible task, either. The aforementioned restriction on PFAS in food packaging has been in place for months, and the ski equipment industry has already switched to waxes made without PFAS.
What products still contain PFAS?
Just from looking at most products, it’s difficult to tell whether they contain PFAS, which is why the law puts the responsibility on manufacturers and retailers, not consumers. Some manufacturers have begun to advertise their products as “made without PFAS” or committed to removing PFAS from their manufacturing processes, but Minnesota’s laws do not require manufacturers to label their products in any way.
Several organizations offer third-party verification of products claiming to be made without PFAS. Minnesota’s laws don’t require these certifications, but they can be a good resource for consumers and retailers who are trying buy or sell safer products.
How should I dispose of products containing PFAS?
While the law goes a long way to prevent new products containing PFAS from being sold, most of us already own products from the above categories that could contain PFAS. These products may continue to be used — the new law doesn’t require households to replace or get rid of anything — but when the time comes, properly disposing of PFAS products can help protect the environment. Some of those items, like cookware and dental floss, can be disposed of alongside normal household solid waste.
However, any liquid products containing PFAS such as floor waxes, glass cleaners, and cleaners in aerosol cans, should not go down the drain. Instead, they should be disposed of through a county household hazardous waste program.
For detailed guidance on what constitutes household hazardous waste and what to do with products that contain PFAS, contact your county’s solid waste department.
More information
Check out our additional resources and sign up for more information about Minnesota laws that prevent PFAS pollution.
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