Thomas Braun Quoted on Newly Enacted Minnesota PFAS Ban

In a new article, Thomas Braun provides his insights to Minnesota Lawyer as to the possible impacts of a recent ban in Minnesota of PFAS—“forever chemicals”—present in a variety of products, from stain-resistant carpets to nonstick cookware, that can make their way into the environment, both during production and use, and exposure to which some scientific studies have shown can harm human health.

Minnesota banned PFAS in food packaging in 2021. The new law, which will prohibit the sale, offer for sale, and distribution of products that have had PFAS intentionally used in their manufacture, goes into effect in stages starting in 2025.

“Eventually, there will be a general ban with limited exceptions in 2032,” environmental partner Braun said. “Layer on top of that, then, regulations related to the amount of PFAS that can be in water, wastewater, air emissions, soils, it’s going to keep moving forward.”

Retailers as well as manufacturers must heed the ban, and Braun notes, “If you think about how many things are in any given product, the person offering them for sale is now responsible for all of those components and knowing what’s in them. If there is intentionally added PFAS in them, they are now responsible for that.”

You can read the full article here.

For more on Minnesota’s PFAS ban, see a post by Thomas Braun on our Environmental Law blog.