The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Monday that a new final rule was issued that gives the agency the authority to prevent companies from manufacturing, processing, or importing products into the US that are made with some long-chain Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). 

Part of the agency’s Part of EPA’s PFAS Action Plan, the EPA will review a list of products containing PFAS. The rule allows EPA to create restrictions on products that may have harmful forms of PFAS. The final rule was issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 

“As EPA marks the 4^th anniversary of amendments to TSCA, this new rule gives the Trump administration a powerful new tool to protect public health,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in an agency release. “The regulation can stop products containing PFAS from entering or reentering the marketplace without our explicit permission. EPA is committed to aggressively addressing these chemicals of concern under the PFAS Action Plan.”

The list of products includes ski wax, carpet, furniture, electronics, and household appliances. Under the new rule, carpet made with perfluoroalkyl sulfonate chemical substances and products that use some types of long-chain PFAS as a surface coating are blocked from importation into the US unless the EPA reviews and approves the products first. 

For more information on the final rule, click here.