Green Science Policy Institute

SIX CLASSES ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 1) We met with policymakers in Congress and agencies in Washington, DC. We educated Senate and House staff from both sides of the aisle, as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) leadership and staff on the class concept and the potential for harm of PFAS, flame retardants, and antimicrobials. During our meetings, we encouraged legislation, letters, appropriations report language, and other actions to update regulations to reduce toxic chemical exposures. 2) Our communications strategy, including an attention-getting press release and embargo, contributed to the high readership and influence of our scientific research papers. We co-authored six out of the 20 most-read papers in 2024 in the high impact journal ES&T Letters. This ranking is based on readership over the past twelve months and shows our papers continuing impact. 3) Our Material Buyers Club, institutional purchasers collaborating for healthier building products, is growing. We are sharing our guide for reducing the Six Classes in carpet, furniture, and flooring, based on extensive work by Harvard and Google, with our new members working together towards healthier buildings across the US. 4) We gave talks on our work and communication strategy, at UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, Duke U., and U. of North Carolina. Professors and students told us we inspired them to conduct and communicate their own research to reduce chemical harm. Our scientists also participated in the National PFAS Conference & the International Symposium on Flame Retardants where they shared our research and communications strategy with scientists and community members worldwide.

REDUCING PFAS: In 2024, we continued educating stakeholders and reducing the use of the class of PFAS in consumer products and building materials. FOOD PACKAGING: Beginning with our joint paper, Fluorinated compounds in US fast food packaging and our one-day workshop that discussed the harm of PFAS in food packaging, the packaging industry and fast food companies began to phase out PFAS. Many states banned PFAS in food contact materials and in February 2024, the US FDA announced that materials containing PFAS were no longer being sold for use in food packaging in the U.S.FIREFIGHTING FOAM: Our past Hill work led to bipartisan federal legislation to allow US commercial airports to use firefighting foams without PFAS. In 2024, a ban on PFAS foams in California airports went into effect which will help prevent drinking water contamination in nearby communities.BUILDING MATERIAL PAPERS: With our academic colleagues, we began writing papers on PFAS in outdoor building materials and how PFAS migrate from building materials into the environment. Using our communications strategy, we will share three research papers to educate architects and builders to reduce PFAS.PFAS IN TEXTILES: Our joint paper Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in North American School Uniforms, has contributed to the decreasing use of PFAS in textiles, including clothing, furnishings, and outdoor products. As of January 1, 2025, most textiles sold in California and New York states will no longer contain PFAS. Because of these states large markets, most apparel sold in the US will be free of PFAS.PREVENTING HARMFUL LEGISLATION: We helped prevent legislation in Indiana that would have exempted polymers and F-gases, the most commonly used PFAS, from the states PFAS definition so they would not be defined as PFAS and could continue to be used without regulation. We wrote a Scientists Statement on the importance of inclusive, science-based PFAS definitions with over 150 scientist signatures, which contributed to this problematic proposal not becoming law.

REDUCING ANTIMICROBIALS: We increased our focus on quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), a type of antimicrobials used in consumer disinfectants, cleaning solutions, wipes and personal care products, often without a benefit. GYMS: We surveyed San Francisco Bay area gyms and found that over half requested their patrons use QAC-based products on the equipment after each use. We have also observed that the use of disinfectants in gyms does not follow directions for correct use, creating a false sense of safety while potentially contributing to antimicrobial resistance and other health harms. We created and shared a simple factsheet to help raise awareness among gym facility managers on how to avoid unnecessary uses of harmful antimicrobials in their cleaning and disinfecting practices. POLICY WORK: We educated congressional offices about the health harm of QACs, their unnecessary uses, and what can be done on the federal level to help address this problem. Senators Gillibrand and Booker sent a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration to finalize its long overdue decision on the use of benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, and chloroxylenol in soaps and body washes. SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION: We continued to engage experts working on studying health effects and environmental fate of antimicrobials. We hosted periodic calls on the current research and policy opportunities to reduce the unnecessary uses of antimicrobials and participated in a Northwestern University workshop focused on identifying what specifiers and buyers need to know about antimicrobial chemistry for smarter decision making.