Indiana environmentalists, manufacturers at odds over bill to protect toxic PFAS chemicals

February 20, 2024

Read the full article by Casey Smith (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

"Environmental advocates sounded alarms at the Indiana Statehouse on Monday over a bill that would change the definition of toxic PFAS chemicals to exempt those which Hoosier manufacturers want to keep using.

HB 1399 seeks to carve out more than 5,000 “forever chemicals” from being defined as such by the state and its environmental rules board.

That means chemicals deemed harmful in other states would no longer carry the same designation in Indiana. Critics said the legislation could allow products that contain the toxic chemicals to be “wrongly” labeled as “PFAS-free.”