Minnesota is moving forward with phasing in some of the strongest PFAS regulations in the world even as the federal government pulls back oversight of the so-called "forever chemicals" found in everything from cookware to firefighting foam and pesticides.
The divide in approach could carry real consequences for families, workers, and small farmers who have little control over contamination but may still end up bearing health and financial costs.
Here's what to know
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has scaled back parts of its policy on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — or PFAS — in part by narrowing the federal definition of the chemicals and, during the Trump administration, approving five new pesticides that contain PFAS.
Instead of covering chemicals with any carbon-fluorine bond, the revised definition applies only to those with more than one. Because carbon-fluorine bonds are so durable, PFAS can remain in soil, water, and the human body for years.
"That's a good thing when you want to use it for a product," University of Minnesota Environmental Health Sciences division head Bruce Alexander told the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. "It's a bad thing if it's in the environment, in the body, because then it doesn't go away."
While the range of potential health effects is still being investigated, some research has linked certain levels of PFAS exposure to cancers, thyroid problems, immune issues, and developmental delays. Other studies have not found clear evidence of widespread harms.
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"The most consistent thing about the literature on PFAS is the inconsistency of it," Alexander said.
More background
Minnesota's connection to PFAS stretches back decades. In 1947, 3M, based in the state, began mass-producing PFOA, a type of PFAS. Internal records later reflected concerns about possible health risks associated with related chemicals.
Now, Amara's Law is set to strengthen regulations on them.
The state law was named for Amara Strande, who died at 20 from liver cancer in 2023. It was designed to "[take] effect in stages between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2032," according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency — or MPCA — and includes a ban on the sale of products that knowingly use PFAS unless that use is considered currently unavoidable.
Meanwhile, at the federal level, the EPA has loosened some Biden-era protections against PFAS.
The diverging approach to the chemicals may have unforeseen impacts. And Peace Mitchell and Michael Birchard, proprietors of the Black-owned Frog Tree Farm in Minnesota, told the Spokesman-Recorder that smaller and historically marginalized operations can be hit especially hard.
"The cost of environmental testing, potential contamination, or changing regulations can create barriers that larger, more established operations are better equipped to absorb," said the farmers, who also told the local newspaper they support policies to protect lands and waters from PFAS pollution.
What's being done?
Even as federal rules loosen, Minnesota is continuing on its own path. For example, the state's regulations include single-fluorine-bonded chemicals.
And new phases of Amara's Law will continue to go into effect. Per the law, "manufacturers are required to report intentionally added PFAS in products sold in Minnesota and pay a fee" by September 15, according to the MPCA.
However, some health and business professionals who otherwise support Amara's Law have disputed the practicality of some of the legislation's product reporting requirements, with some arguing for extensions or exceptions.
The MPCA has meanwhile urged stormwater management to take PFAS contamination into consideration amid worsening extreme weather events.
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