Policy is a cornerstone of CEH’s strategy to create widespread and lasting positive change for our collective health. CEH is a key player in environmental and public health policy, securing far-reaching victories at the local, state, and federal levels with our partners. We fight to protect laws that are critical to safeguarding the health of people in every community, such as California’s Proposition 65, other state warning and labeling laws, and the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
Our Policy work stretches all across the country from a landmark bill in California that bans PFAS in paper-based food packaging to North Carolina where we partner with allies and grassroots groups to address the concerns of communities along the Cape Fear River who have been exposed for decades to numerous PFAS in their drinking water, air, food, and soil because of pollution from the Chemours facility in Fayetteville, NC.
Banning PFAS in Paper-Based Food Packaging
Introduced in 2021 and enacted in 2023, a California bill bans the use of PFAS or “forever chemicals” in paper-based food packaging and requires disclosure of toxic substances in cookware
The California Safer Food Packaging and Cookware Act (AB1200) protects consumers and the environment from PFAS and other harmful chemicals by:
Banning paper-based food packaging using PFAS chemicals by January 1, 2023
Requiring cookware manufacturers starting January 1, 2024, to disclose the presence of chemicals in their products that are of concern for human health or the environment
Prohibiting misleading advertising on cookware packaging as early as January 1, 2023
Cosponsors of the legislation include CEH, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, Clean Water Action, Environmental Working Group, and NRDC.
The bill also requires cookware manufacturers to disclose chemicals of concern, such as PFAS and bisphenol A, or BPA, and other substances on the California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s Candidate Chemical List, if they are added either to surfaces that come into contact with food or drink or to handles. The disclosure must be available online starting January 1, 2023, and January 1, 2024, on the product label.
‘Cape Fear Courage’ Tells the Story of North Carolina Communities Fighting for Clean Water
A coalition of nonprofit, community, and environmental justice groups released a video called ‘Cape Fear Courage,’ which tells the story of North Carolina communities fighting for information on the “forever chemicals” polluting their drinking water. The groups teamed up with Emmy-award winning filmmakers from Peak Plastic Foundation to highlight their search for answers.