Vermont Bans 'Forever Chemicals' From Firefighting Gear, Dental Floss

The Vermont Senate advanced House Bill 238 through its Health and Welfare Committee, building on restrictions already adopted for personal care products, menstrual items, textiles, cookware, and artificial turf. The expanded bill adds a critical provision prohibiting PFAS in most firefighting gear beginning in 2029, addressing a significant occupational health threat.

Firefighters face repeated exposure to PFAS-laden equipment during their careers, making the gear prohibition a public health priority for Vermont lawmakers. The legislation also targets fluorine-treated food containers, dental floss, and cleaning products—common sources of PFAS exposure for Vermont residents. Lauren Hierl, executive director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council, underscored the urgency: "As PFAS 'forever chemicals' continue to harm Vermonters' health and contaminate our drinking water, the urgency of turning off the tap of PFAS coming into our state continues to grow."

The House originally passed H.238, sponsored by Rep. Amy Sheldon (D), before the Senate committee expanded its scope. Governor Phil Scott signed the bill on June 11, 2025, making it Vermont law (Act 54). The legislation also tasks the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources with submitting recommendations by January 15, 2033, on addressing PFAS in complex durable goods—products with 100 or more components designed to last at least five years, including recreational vehicles.

Vermont's H.238 follows the May 2024 passage of Senate Bill 25 (Act 131), which restricted PFAS in cosmetics, menstrual products, and textiles. The state's multi-year strategy reflects growing alarm over PFAS contamination of Vermont's lakes, rivers, and groundwater, with both federal and state legislatures increasingly restricting these substances that don't break down naturally in the environment.