We've been working with the Smart On Pesticides Coalition protect public health and our environment from toxic PFAS ("forever chemicals") in pesticides – but after the House of Delegates followed industry's influence, we need your help to kill our own bill.
HB386 would have phased out the use of pesticides containing PFAS, a class of chemicals linked to cancer, immune system suppression, liver damage, reproductive harm, and developmental issues in children. These chemicals persist in the environment for decades, contaminating soil, water, and food. Studies show that PFAS in pesticides can be absorbed by crops and enter our food supply, while runoff pollutes our drinking water sources. Farmers, farmworkers, and communities near treated fields face even greater exposure risks.
Maryland already has a strong definition of PFAS that recognizes that there are thousands of these chemicals, not just a few. This broad definition ensures that chemical companies cannot circumvent the ban by tweaking chemical structures while leaving us exposed to the harmful degredates. But chemical companies convinced the House of Delegates to weaken the bill by creating a new definition that's narrow and basically meaningless: only six pesticides containing PFAS would be banned, instead of addressing PFAS holistically as Maryland's other, existing regulations do.
If this amended bill passes the Senate too, it will not just make this bill meaningless; it will also set a dangerous precedent – creating the pathway for other product manufacturers to bypass our existing definition - and PFAS pesticides would continue contaminating our environment and our health.
Take action now: tell your representatives to oppose the amended HB386!
