News Article

California passes PFAS regulation of textile products

The State of California passed Bill AB 1817 on 1 September 2022. This bill regulates PFAS chemicals in textile articles by prohibiting any person from manufacturing, distributing, or selling any new textile articles that contain regulated PFAS, and requires a manufacturer to use the least toxic alternative when removing regulated PFAS in textile articles to comply with these provisions.

It will come into force on 1^st January 2025 and requires a manufacturer to provide persons that offer the product for sale or distribution with a certificate of compliance stating that the textile article follows the law and does not contain any regulated PFAS. Up until 1^st January 2028, the new law will not apply to outdoor apparel for severe weather conditions, but, beginning January 2025, the statement “Made with PFAS chemicals”, must accompany sales of outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions that contain regulated PFAS.

The following textile articles are excluded:

1. Any items regulated under the Safer Consumer Products Program
   1. Carpets and rugs
   2. Treatments containing PFAS for use on converted textiles or leathers
2. A vehicle or its component parts
3. A vessel or its component parts
4. Filtration media and filter products used in industrial applications
5. Textile articles used in or for laboratory analysis and testing
6. An aircraft or its component parts
7. Stadium shades or other architectural fabric structures

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) is defined as a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.

Regulated PFAS is defined as either of the following:

1. PFAS that is intentionally added to a product and that have a functional or technical effect in the product, including the PFAS components of intentionally added chemicals and PFAS that are intentional breakdown products of an added chemical that also have a functional or technical effect in the product; or
2. The presence of PFAS in a product or product component at or above the following thresholds, as measured in total organic fluorine:
   1. Beginning 1 January 2025, 100 ppm
   2. Beginning 1 January 2027, 50 ppm

Eurofins | BLC has PFAS testing facilities and a range of sustainability services to help you manage PFAS risk in your products and supply chain. Email [email protected] and one of our experts will be in touch.