Initial reports from about 40 companies show that at least 991 products sold in Maine contain PFAS chemicals.
So-called "forever chemicals" are in everything from swimsuits and school supplies to nonstick cookware, pet food packaging and batteries, according to initial data. Companies that sell these products in Maine must report them to state environmental regulators, and the Portland-based nonprofit Defend Our Health obtained the initial reports through a Freedom of Information Act request.
"It is alarming that a lot of these products will directly expose consumers to PFAS in their home, or result in environmental problems when the PFAS are washed down the drain or tossed in the trash, where they can leak from landfills," said Mike Belliveau, executive director of Defend Our Health.
At least seven companies told the state that they plan to phase out the use of PFAS in their products, which Belliveau said is a sign that Maine's reporting requirements passed three years ago are having the desired effect.
Companies that sell products in Maine now have until January of next year to report to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Maine law bans the sale of products with added PFAS by the end of the decade, though Belliveau said the scope of that law will be up for debate again during the new legislative session.
