SPRINGFIELD – Governor JB Pritzker, on Friday, August 15, signed legislation that the state’s clean water advocates are hailing as a significant step forward in tackling the growing threat of toxic water pollution. Sponsored by Senator Julie Morrison and Representative Abdelnasser Rashid, HB2516 phases out the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka "forever chemicals," in the manufacturing of children's products, cosmetics, intimate apparel such as sleepwear or underwear, menstrual products, and dental floss by 2032.
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PFAS have emerged as a serious environmental and public health threat due to their persistence and widespread contamination. These manufactured chemicals, widely utilized in consumer and industrial products since World War II, are now linked to alarming levels of contamination in drinking water supplies and health risks ranging from cancers to liver toxicity to reduced fertility. Used in a range of everyday products like water-repellant apparel, children’s items, carpet, nonstick foodware, dental floss and grease-resistant food wrappers, PFAS have become pervasive in our daily lives.
“By now, it is likely that you have heard of 'PFAS chemicals, ' and for those who haven’t, you most certainly have interacted with them, probably on a daily basis for many years now,” said Jen Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. “Our science-based understanding of the dangers of PFAS continues to grow, and with it, the public’s support for intervening in this expanding environmental and public health crisis. In passing and signing this legislation, the legislature and Gov. Pritzker are stepping up to protect public health and hold polluters accountable.”
PFAS are often called “forever chemicals” because they contain an exceptionally strong carbon-fluorine bond, which makes them highly resistant to breakdown. As a result, they persist in the environment for decades or longer—in water, soil, and even living organisms. Their environmental and biological persistence means they can accumulate over time, raising long-term concerns for ecosystems and public health. Studies have linked prolonged exposure to PFAS to thyroid disorders, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, low birth rates and cancer among other troubling health conditions.
“Thank you, Governor Pritzker, for signing into law HB2516 and for the leadership of the bill's sponsors, Rep. Rashid & Sen. Morrison,” said Andrea Densham, a senior policy adviser at the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “This is a critically important next step in protecting the people of Illinois from toxins, both by reducing the impact on those who work in and live near the factories, as well as all Illinois consumers and our environment.”
In stark contrast to this state-level progress on reducing some of the most common sources of PFAS pollution, the Trump administration has aggressively rolled back PFAS regulations, cut funding for public health research on the serious health impacts of PFAS exposure, and appointed industry-friendly officials, including a former PFAS industry lawyer as the new EPA Deputy Administrator.
“HB2516 bill also illustrates how states can lead the way and prevent pollution at the source while ending the use of toxic chemicals like PFAS in consumer products,” Densham continued.
“At a time when our federal government and other states are failing the public on PFAS pollution, IEC is proud to support the work Sen. Morrison and Rep. Rashid are doing to answer the public’s call for smart policy intervention curbing our exposure to toxic forever chemicals to ensure a safer, healthier future for all Illinoisans and our ecosystems,” Walling continued.
The new law goes into effect immediately.
