Forever chemicals: FL Senate panel proposes to tackle PFAS contamination

December 20, 2021

Read the full article by Laura Cassels (The Florida Phoenix)

"Florida’s Senate Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources plans to address PFAS, a class of man-made compounds referred to as “forever chemicals” that may pose public health or ecological risks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The proposed committee bill would create a 16-member task force by next fall to determine how to identify and clean up contamination with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, used for decades in a variety of consumer products such as food packaging and cookware.

PFAS also have long been used in fire suppressant foams commonly used at firefighting training facilities, airports, chemical plants and military installations.

“PFAS have been widely used since the 1950s in many industries, including the aerospace, semiconductor, medical, automotive, construction, electronics, and aviation industries. The compounds have also been used as coatings in a variety of consumer products, such as non-stick cookware, waterproof and stain-resistant fabrics, carpets, furniture, outdoor equipment, cleaning products, food packaging, and firefighting foams,” according to a staff analysis of the legislation."