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Cleaning house: California bill targets PFAS in cleaners and cookware rcoleman July 9, 2025 A sweeping new bill the California Legislature is considering would protect public health by banning cookware and cleaning products that contain the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS.  Senate Bill 682 builds on the state’s efforts to reduce peoples’ exposure to harmful chemicals. If enacted, it would prohibit the distribution, sale or offering for sale of products that contain intentionally added PFAS. The ban would go into effect in 2028. Cookware and cleaning supplies often contain these substances, which can leech into food and the environment and are linked to cancer and other serious health problems. SB 682, authored by California State Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), targets a wide range of items people use every day, including cookware, cleaning products, dental floss, some juvenile products, plastic food packaging and ski wax. If California enacts SB 682, it would join other states, such as Connecticut, Colorado and Minnesota, that have banned the use of PFAS in cookware, cleaners and other products. The bill’s cosponsors include the Environmental Working Group, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Clean Water Action, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners and the California Association of Sanitation Agencies. SB 682 would also expand the state’s existing PFAS bans – which already cover textiles, cosmetics, paper food packaging, menstrual products, some children’s products and firefighting foam – by adding new categories of products. Given California’s position as the world’s fourth largest economy, any state regulation tends to set a de facto national standard. Companies adjust their product specifications for the state’s massive market, so they’d likely remove PFAS from their products sold nationwide instead of making one PFAS-free type for California and keeping PFAS in items sold in other states. PFAS in cookware Nonstick cookware commonly contains PTFE, a type of PFAS sold under the name Teflon. At high temperatures, this chemical coating can degrade and release toxic fumes linked to a flu-like condition known as “Teflon flu,” which causes respiratory distress.  A study reported that PTFE particles have been found in urine and semen. Researchers linked it to reduced sperm counts.  The coating can also flake off damaged pots and pans and contaminate food. EWG has long recommended that consumers switch to alternatives like stainless steel, cast iron or glass to reduce their exposure to hazardous PFAS.   Even companies that make PFAS-coated cookware recognize the risks their products pose under typical cooking conditions. They warn consumers not to use the pots and pans at temperatures above 500 degrees Fahrenheit, a level needed to broil food or for everyday stovetop use.  To avoid health hazards, companies also caution against using metal utensils that can damage the coating, which releases the substance.  They also urge people to keep pet birds away from heated pans. Birds have died after exposure to PFAS gases released by heated pans. PFAS in cleaning products PFAS are also added to some cleaning products. Categories of these chemicals that either may contain or have historically contained PFAS are: glass and hard surface cleaners fabric, upholstery, and carpet cleaners and treatments dishwashing rinse aids aerosol propellant-based cleaners and air fresheners paints and coatings waxes and polishes for floors, furniture, cars and boat vessels During floor treatments, like stripping and waxing, PFAS levels in dust and air can spike dramatically, according to a 2022 study. This exposure to PFAS in cleaners can affect everyone but pose a greater health risk to cleaning workers, pregnant people, children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.  Children are especially vulnerable. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, kids are more sensitive to PFAS because of their size and developing bodies, and behaviors like crawling and putting hands in their mouths. Many spend long hours on floors and surfaces treated with PFAS-containing cleaners, especially in schools and daycare centers.  Cleaning workers use these products frequently or even daily and could be disproportionately affected by PFAS in cleaners.  After use, many cleaning products are rinsed down the drain, where they mix with wastewater. From there, PFAS can end up in rivers, lakes, even on land because of the disposal of treated sewage. Some utilities recycle treated wastewater to irrigate parks and schools.  Utilities are not required to remove most PFAS from drinking water, recycled water or sludge. Federal drinking water standards will require just two of the thousands of PFAS in use to be removed from drinking water, beginning in 2031. Health risks of PFAS exposure PFAS are toxic even at extremely low levels. They are known as forever chemicals because once released into the environment, they do not break down and can build up in the body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected PFAS in the blood of 99 percent of Americans, including newborn babies.  Very low doses of PFAS have been linked to suppression of the immune system. Studies show exposure to PFAS can also increase the risk of cancer, harm fetal development and reduce vaccine effectiveness.  A model for national change California has a long track record of leading the nation in protecting public health and the environment from toxic chemicals. SB 682 is another vital step forward.  By banning intentionally added PFAS from everyday consumer products such as cookware and cleaners, the state could help promote the development and use of safer alternatives nationwide and lower harmful exposures that could threaten Californians’ health.  PFAS have no place in our kitchens, our classrooms or our bodies. With safer options already available, it’s time to phase out these forever chemicals for good.  Areas of Focus Food & Water Water Toxic Chemicals PFAS Chemicals Regional Issues California Authors Susan Little July 9, 2025

National, state environmental groups urge California Senate to halt anti-solar AB 942 rcoleman July 9, 2025 SACRAMENTO – A coalition of 14 California-based and national environmental organizations is calling on state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), chair of the state Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, to block Assembly Bill 942. They warn that the bill would betray and punish millions of rooftop solar adopters and undermine the state’s clean energy leadership.In a July 8 letter, the groups describe AB 942, authored by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier), a former Southern California Edison executive, as “the antithesis of good leadership.” The groups charge that the bill, if enacted, would retroactively break long-standing solar contracts while also prohibiting solar adopters from benefiting from the state’s climate change programs. These actions would also jeopardize the state’s climate goals at a moment when federal support for clean energy is under attack, they say.The organizations that signed the letter include American Bird Conservancy, Audubon California, California Native Plant Society, CALPIRG, Center for Biological Diversity, Environment California, Environmental Action, Environmental Working Group, Greenpeace USA, Pacific Environment, Planning & Conservation League, Sierra Club California, The Climate Center and Vote Solar. “California can’t afford to follow Washington’s lead in dismantling rooftop solar,” the letter states, referring to the “One Big Beautiful Bill” President Donald Trump signed into law last week. That law includes a provision that eliminates the 30% federal tax credit for clean energy. “AB 942 would double down on this damage by eroding public trust and dismantling the policies that have made clean, affordable energy available to working- and middle-class families across the state,” the letter says.Under the original solar net energy metering, or NEM, rules, homeowners were guaranteed long-term compensation for surplus solar power, regardless of property ownership changes. AB 942 would revoke those terms for new home buyers, harming the market for solar-equipped homes. The measure would also set a dangerous precedent – that California won’t honor its clean energy commitments.“This betrayal is not only unethical – it’s destructive,” the groups write. “It will lower home values, devastate the rooftop solar market, and erode consumer confidence in the state’s environmental leadership.”Critical energy strategyThe stakes are high. Rooftop solar is a critical component of California’s strategy to reduce emissions from the electricity sector — the third largest source of carbon pollution in the state, according to the California Air Resources Board. Without robust rooftop solar growth, California’s climate targets become increasingly out of reach.The groups’ letter also highlights the disproportionate impact AB 942 would have on low- and middle-income households. Over 60% of homes with solar installed under NEM 1.0 and 2.0 are working- and middle-class families who were drawn to solar for the long-term savings on utility bills. AB 942 would strip them and future buyers of those economic benefits, all while allowing investor-owned utilities to continue passing unnecessary costs on to ratepayers.“The utilities claim this bill is about fairness,” the letter says. “But there’s nothing fair about breaking contracts and punishing families who did exactly what the state encouraged them to do: invest in clean energy.”‘Californians are watching’The coalition urges Becker to use his authority as energy committee chair to stop AB 942 from advancing. They stress that now is not the time for California to backslide, especially as Washington, D.C., moves in the opposite direction on clean energy.“Californians are watching. Amid federal attacks on climate and clean energy, our state must lead. Let’s not hand the fossil fuel industry another victory by reversing one of California’s greatest environmental success stories,” the groups write.A larger coalition of over 150 other community, justice, clean energy and environmental organizations previously sent a letter to the energy committee, also calling on it to stop AB 942.###The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action. Advocates seek to protect state’s solar program as “beacon of hope” for clean energy Press Contact Alex Formuzis alex@ewg.org (202) 667-6982 July 9, 2025

Four graduating students were selected for their outstanding academic achievements in sustainable development.

A collaborative exhibit between art historian Patricia Maurides and scientist Karina Yager explores how humans perceive changes in the natural world.

Robin Bell has been named the Marie Tharp Lamont Research Professor and Richard Seager the Ewing Lamont Research Professor.