PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) in Consumer Products

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These are a large group of manmade chemicals that repel oil and water. Some PFAS take centuries to break down, and even once they have broken down, they can form other PFAS.

PFAS are used to make products water, grease, and stain-resistant. People can be exposed to PFAS through eating food, drinking water, breathing PFAS-polluted air, and accidentally ingesting dust.

After a buildup of PFAS exposure in the body, there are common health risks that become linked to those build ups. A variety of these health effects include: higher cholesterol levels, lower infant birth weights, weakened immune response, and increased risk of some cancers. 

For other questions about this law, please fill out and submit this form: Questions about PFAS in Consumer Products

Intentionally added PFAS means PFAS added to a covered product or one of its product components to provide a specific characteristic, appearance, or quality or to perform a specific function. This also includes any degradation byproducts of PFAS or PFAS that are intentional breakdown products of an added chemical. The use of PFAS as a processing agent, mold release agent, or intermediate is considered an intentional introduction for the purposes of this chapter, where PFAS is detected in the final covered product.

The statute specifically enumerates the following non-exhaustive list of examples of covered cookware: pots, pans, skillets, grills, baking sheets, baking molds, trays, bowls, and cooking utensils.  RIDEM may consider additional items to fall into the “cookware” category if those items are used to “prepare, dispense, or store food, foodstuffs or beverages” in accordance with the statutory definition. 

RIDEM has determined that electric versions of PFAS-coated frying pans, skillets, pots, and similar cookware to which PFAS is intentionally added to the food-contact surface are subject to the ban. However, internal and electronic cookware components would be beyond the intent of the law. Also, large appliances and small complex appliances (e.g., an electric coffee machine) are not subject to the ban.

Any questions about the applicability of cookware products within this definition, please fill out and submit this form: Questions about PFAS in Consumer Products.

While air fryers, rice cookers, and microwave ovens are generally considered small appliances and may therefore be exempt from the ban, an appliance that contains a component, such as a basket, tray, or grill pan, with PFAS intentionally added to the food-contact surface would be considered “cookware” and subject to the Rhode Island PFAS restrictions effective January 1, 2027. However, if PFAS is intentionally added only to the appliance’s electronic component, the appliance would be excluded from the ban.