Massachusetts, USA, Regulates PFAS in Firefighting Personal Protective Equipment

SafeGuardSPersonal and Protective EquipmentNovember 05, 2024

SG 157/24

The US state of Massachusetts has approved measures to regulate PFAS in personal protective equipment for firefighting. The new law will be implemented into phases, starting on January 1, 2025.

In August 2024, the governor of Massachusetts signed S.2902 (Chapter 182) into law to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting personal protective equipment (FPPE).

According to the definitions in the new law, ‘FPPE’ and ‘PFAS’ have the following meanings:

FPPE means clothing or wearable items for firefighting personnel in the performance of their duties that are designed for use in fire and rescue activities, including, but not limited to footwear, gloves, helmets, jackets, pants and respiratory equipment
PFAS means a class of fluorinated chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom

Highlights of S.2902 are summarized in Table 1.

Substance	Scope	Requirement	Effective date
PFAS	FPPE	Manufacturers (including importers and domestic distributors by statute) must provide written notice¹ to the purchaser at the time of sale indicating: FPPE contains PFAS Reason for FPPE containing PFAS Specific PFAS by chemical and abbreviated names	January 1, 2025
PFAS	FPPE	Prohibited if intentionally added	January 1, 2027

Table 1

¹Manufacturers and purchasers must retain a copy of the notice for at least three years from date of purchase.

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