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On November 15, 2023, join PFAS Insurance Recovery Taskforce members Tamara Bruno and Scott Greenspan for “PFAS Insurance Coverage: The Policyholder’s Roadmap to Recovery.”

During this PLI event, Tamara and Scott will explore the most significant court decisions on PFAS coverage issues, provide a guide to registrants on the major coverage issues raised by PFAS claims under legacy and current insurance policies, and offer strategies to policyholders for insurance recovery of PFAS claims.

To register, click here.

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On September 14, join Reza Zarghamee and Aimee Ghosh for a free, one-hour webinar as they cover U.S. regulatory/state developments related to PFAS, the importance of insurance as a possible tool for offsetting PFAS-related liabilities, and the unorthodox climate surrounding federal legislation regarding the chemicals.

Register here.

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PFAS-cleaning-1390096829-300x200From a stream of legal challenges, to ever-expanding regulations on things like cosmetics and drinking water, PFAS are the “forever chemicals” keeping companies and consumers on high alert. While industries scramble to remove the synthetic compounds from products, scientists are researching new techniques for scrubbing PFAS from the environment. There is money to be had for those who can find a more streamlined method of purging the substances—the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has an $800 million contract on the table for the handling, destruction and replacement of PFAS-laden fire-fighting foam—leaving technology companies racing to create solutions. The three main PFAS cleaning techniques currently relied upon can be very effective but are also costly and may leave questionable byproducts in their wake.

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Maine and Massachusetts have both joined the expanding number of states restricting or considering the restriction of PFAS-containing products.

Maine Regulators Propose Rules Providing Guidance on Newly Enacted Ban
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has proposed a new rule intended to establish, in greater detail, the procedures necessary for compliance with Public Law c. 477, entitled “An Act To Stop Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Pollution.” As discussed in a previous post, this law, which went into effect January 1, 2023, imposes reporting requirements for consumer products with intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and phases out products containing PFAS beginning with carpets, rugs and fabric treatments. The proposed regulation largely echoes the language of the statute itself but does provide new definitions material to the statute’s “currently unavailable use” exemption and elaborates on the required content of the statutorily prescribed notices regarding PFAS-containing products. A public hearing is being held on the proposed rule on April 20, 2023, with comments due May 19, 2023.

Parties interested in influencing or narrowing the scope of the Maine PFAS law may wish to consider the benefits of submitting public comments by this deadline.

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In the last eight months, the attorneys general of North Carolina, California, Wisconsin and Illinois have sued various primary manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as well as over a dozen secondary manufacturers of PFAS-containing products. Each lawsuit alleges that the manufacture and distribution of PFAS and PFAS-containing products has led to widespread environmental contamination and harmful exposure.

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On June 15, 2022, the EPA released drinking water health advisory levels for four per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): PFOA, PFOS, PFBS and GenX. The announcement reflects the Biden administration’s continued push to regulate PFAS.

In requesting information from its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) on PFOA and PFOS last fall, the EPA signaled that it would seek to regulate these two chemicals at concentrations below the existing advisory levels of 70 parts per trillion (ppt). The revised advisory levels for these two substances confirm that suspicion and present new technical challenges in PFAS detection and treatment, as do the new advisory levels for PFBS and GenX.

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The term “phthalate” denotes a class of chemicals that have been used since the 1920s to improve the flexibility and durability of plastic. Accordingly, phthalates can be found in hundreds, if not thousands, of everyday products, ranging from food packaging to toys, medical devices, construction materials, textiles, cosmetics, soaps, and fragrances. Their ubiquity has led some to nickname them the “Everywhere Chemical.”

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