Minnesota bills to ban ‘forever chemicals’ in more products

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota House committee on Wednesday considered three bills that would ban a family of chemicals known as PFAS from cosmetics, cookware and ski wax.

The family of chemicals is sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances are broad terms for manmade chemicals that were designed to make products resistant to heat, oil, stains, grease, and water.

Opponents of the bill contend that the language in the bills describing the chemicals is too broad and would apply to hundreds with different properties.

All three bills passed in committee and head for their next committee stop.