MAINE, USA — A new law will now require all manufacturers in Maine to report their use of a class of toxic chemicals and phase them out by 2030.
The law took effect Thursday and is one of several legislative proposals to address contamination of so-called PFAS, which have long been used in a variety of consumer products.
Mainers pleaded with lawmakers to help, and they responded with a series of proposals setting stricter PFAS pollution standards, allocating money to address contamination, and making it easier to sue polluters.
Linda Birnbaum, former director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, told the associated press that, “The more we study PFAS, the more we learn of their harm to human health.” She also commended the state of Maine for working to eliminate these toxic chemicals.