Toxic Chemical Reform

PFAS and other toxic chemicals harm our bodies’ immune systems, cause diseases like cancer, and contaminate our environment. In the past few years, lawmakers have unanimously enacted nation-leading legislation that banned PFAS and other chemicals from a range of consumer products.

Vermont must continue to build on this work by banning PFAS and other dangerous chemicals from personal care products — shampoos, lotions, cosmetics and other products that we rub, pour and sprinkle on our bodies each day. We should also ban the use of PFAS in textiles. These additional steps will reduce our exposure to these harmful chemicals while using these products in our homes, and also reduce the amount of contamination that eventually ends up in our air, water, and soil.

We must also continue to develop and implement strategies to reduce the amount of waste we generate, and improve how we manage our waste. Our current use and disposal of plastics and other materials is inefficient, expensive, and produces harmful pollution – including climate pollution and toxic contamination. We must pursue policies to reduce our reliance on single-use plastics and harmful alternatives, and modernize the Bottle Bill.

2023 Legislative Priorities

• Protect public health by restricting the use of PFAS and other harmful chemicals from products including textiles and personal care products.
• Modernize the “Bottle Bill” by covering a wider range of beverages to reduce waste, cut plastic pollution, and increase recycling.