Washington Governor Jay Inslee will today sign precedent-setting legislation protecting people and orcas from toxic chemical pollution. After the law is signed, Washington will have the nation’s strongest policy regulating toxic chemicals in products, a major source of harmful chemicals in our homes and environment. The new law prioritizes five chemical classes for action: PFAS, organohalogen flame retardants, phthalates, alkylphenol ethoxylates and bisphenols, and PCBs.
The Pollution Prevention for Our Future Act (SB 5135) gives state agencies the authority to ban chemicals and require disclosure of harmful chemicals in a wide range of products from carpets and personal care products to electronics and building materials. The law addresses classes of chemicals that pose a health threat to sensitive populations, like pregnant women and children, and sensitive species like the endangered southern resident orcas and their prey, Chinook salmon.