Under House Bill 2516, the sale, distribution, or offering for sale of PFAS-laden products will be prohibited in Illinois starting January 1, 2026. The ban includes:
The legislation passed with strong margins:
These products are singled out due to their frequent contact with skin, food, or mucous membranes—making them likely vectors for human exposure.
A second phase of the ban, effective January 1, 2032, narrows the focus to certain personal care and juvenile-use items, including:
The phased approach gives manufacturers time to develop and deploy safer alternatives. However, it also sets firm deadlines to eliminate known PFAS sources from products that pose high risks of exposure.
The law carves out clear exemptions for:
Enforcement is led by the Illinois Attorney General or local State’s Attorneys. Civil penalties range from $5,000 for a first offense to $10,000 for repeated violations, with funds directed to the state’s Environmental Protection Trust Fund.
In addition, by August 1, 2027, the Illinois EPA is required to submit a report evaluating the risks and potential exemptions related to fluoropolymers, a complex PFAS subgroup used in industrial applications and some advanced consumer products.
While the federal government continues to assess and regulate PFAS through the EPA’s Strategic Roadmap, states like Illinois are pushing forward with proactive legislation.
Illinois’ expanded PFAS law not only sets a precedent for regulating consumer-facing products, it also forces industry accountability—particularly for items that have direct and sustained human contact. The move is expected to influence product reformulation across the supply chain as companies seek nationwide compliance strategies.
