Using toxic chemicals in packaging is nonsensical in so many ways. Consumers are exposed when they leach into the products that contain them, especially our food. These chemicals make packaging non-recyclable or compostable, adding to our solid waste problems. These toxins also end up released into drinking water and other parts of the environment both when they are put into products and when those products are eventually landfilled.
PVC and PFAS are considered “the worst of the worst” of problematic chemicals found in plastic packaging. They have been linked to a wide range of health problems, including cancers, reproductive and neurological harm, and impaired immunity. Recent scientific studies have clearly shown that both PFAS and PVC are commonly used in plastic food packaging and leach into the products they contain. We are then re-exposed when the chemicals leach into drinking water or other parts of the environment throughout their lifecycle.
The good news is that neither PVC or PFAS are necessary in plastic packaging. That’s why Clean Water Action is co-sponsoring AB 2761, The Reducing Toxics in Packaging Act, which will ban PVC and PFAS in plastic packaging in California.
We have many safer and effective packaging alternatives, and PFAS and PVC are poisoning us and our environment. Even though AB 2761 is a commonsense bill and mirrors what many companies are already doing to ban PVC and PFAS in plastic packaging, it faces extreme opposition from the chemical industry and other vested interests. Help us get this bill passed in California. Contact your Assemblymember today: