The US state of Maine has introduced a ground-breaking law to remove toxic “forever chemicals” in all products by 2030 in a move that could be followed by governments across the world.

Food packaging, cosmetics, cookware and even dental floss will have to be redesigned so that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAs, are not present. The chemicals have been linked to a range of health conditions, including cancer, liver and kidney disease, low sperm counts, high cholesterol and birth defects.

The law will prohibit around 9,000 compounds except in instances deemed “currently unavoidable”.

They are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down and can accumulate over time.

PFAs have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries around the globe since the 1940s, but there is increasing awareness about the harm they can cause.

In 2019, the US legal thriller Dark Waters dramatised Robert Bilott’s case against a corporation that contaminated a town and livestock with unregulated chemicals.

But there have been years of political pressure in Maine.

Last year, state regulators found PFAs levels more than 150 times higher than the state’s milk standard on a Fairfield dairy farm. Some people have been drinking water containing 300 to 400 times as much PFAs as the US federal health advisory level.

“This policy sets a strong national precedent that sends a clear signal to industry that we need to move quickly toward safer chemistry and away from toxic chemicals like PFAs,” said Sarah Doll, director of health advocacy group Safer States. (© Telegraph Media Group Ltd 2021)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]