First US state bans PFAS, other chemicals from period products

Vermont has become the first state in the US to ban multiple chemicals from menstrual products such as tampons and sanitary pads. The chemicals banned include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), phthalates, formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane and mercury. The law is set to come into force in January 2026.

‘I support the action of state governments, such as Vermont, to begin the process of identifying uses of PFAS that are not essential,’ Jamie DeWitt, a toxicologist at Oregon State University who has studied the immunotoxicological effects of PFAS, tells Chemistry World. ‘While I do not know of any studies that have been conducted to look at how much of the PFAS reported to be in certain consumer items, such as menstrual products, can get into the bodies of people who use them, the use of PFAS in these products does contribute to human exposures.’