US legislation banning ‘forever chemicals’ far from certain as Senate fight looms

Despite mounting evidence of the chemicals' toxicity, a similar bill that passed the House was filibustered in the Senate

Bipartisan legislation introduced this week in Congress would ban PFAS forever chemicals" in US food packaging and significantly reduce exposure to the highly toxic compounds, supporters say, but its passage is far from certain as a fight with industry allies in the Senate looms.

PFAS are a class of compounds that are used across dozens of industries to make products resistant to water, heat, stains and grease. The chemicals are especially common in food packaging because they repel grease and liquid, which prevents paper products from disintegrating.