All Knowledge & Insights By Date

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) has updated its website to include information on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in products for consumers, businesses, and manufacturers. As reported in our May 4, 2026, memorandum, New Mexico recently enacted a final rule that includes prohibitions for certain consumer products containing intentionally added PFAS in 2027 and 2028; reporting on products containing intentionally added PFAS due...

On June 24, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) announced “the first comprehensive federal settlement with a major PFAS manufacturer, Chemours.” Under the $450 million settlement agreement, Chemours will spend more than $337 million on injunctive relief, including an estimated $280 million to provide alternative drinking water, $60 million to ensure compliance with...

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) published in the May 5, 2026, issue of the New Mexico Register a final rule on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products. On May 22, 2026, Diamond Vogel, Inc., a paint manufacturer, filed a Notice of Appeal in the New Mexico Court of Appeals (Diamond Vogel v. New Mexico, Ct. App. No. A-1-CA-43483). Diamond Vogel is challenging the final rule’s labeling and fee provisions. On July 1, 2026, a coalition of...

On May 18, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two proposed rules. The first proposed rule would uphold the federal drinking water Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCL) for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) while providing an option for drinking water systems to request two additional years to comply with the enforceable limits. The second proposed rule would rescind the regulatory determinations and regulations for perfluorohexane...

The Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act (the Act), enacted in 2023 to modernize the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), requires the creation of a “Watch List” of substances capable of becoming toxic to inform Canadians and businesses of substances that they may wish to avoid. On April 28, 2026, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) announced the publication of the Watch List Approach (the Approach) in the CEPA Registry. The Approach...

The Chair of the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board (NMEIB) signed a Final Order and Statement of Reasons on April 17, 2026, regarding the adoption of a rule on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products. The final rule, scheduled to be published in New Mexico’s Register on May 5, 2026, with the Final Order and Statement of Reasons, includes prohibitions for certain consumer products in 2027 and 2028;...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) will hold a webinar on May 7, 2026, from 11:00-12:40 (Helsinki time) on the restriction proposal on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). ECHA experts will present the Risk Assessment Committee’s (RAC) final opinion and the Socio-Economic Analysis Committee’s (SEAC) draft opinion, covering hazards, emissions, risks, alternatives, socio-economic impacts, and next steps. The session includes a one-hour live question and answer...

On April 6, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the draft of its sixth Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) issued under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), including for the first time microplastics as a priority contaminant group. 91 Fed. Reg. 17186. Section 1412(b)(1)(B)(i) of SDWA, as amended in 1996, requires that EPA publish the CCL every five years. The contaminants on the List are not regulated under national primary drinking water regulations, but either occur or...

On March 26, 2026, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) released the final opinion of its Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) and the draft opinion of its Socio-Economic Analysis Committee (SEAC) on the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. According to ECHA, RAC and SEAC “support an EU-wide restriction, subject to specific derogations, on the...

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) held a webinar on February 26, 2026, on its currently unavoidable use (CUU) rule concepts. Under Minnesota’s per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) statute, beginning January 1, 2032, intentionally added PFAS in almost all products will be prohibited in Minnesota unless MPCA issues a CUU determination for the use of the PFAS. MPCA has posted a recording of the webinar, presentation slides, and a summary of the draft rule...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 3, 2026, that its Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) has concluded its evaluation of the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. ECHA notes that RAC drew on “an extensive and independent evaluation of PFAS hazards, volumes, emissions, risks and the likely effectiveness of a restriction as well as...

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced on February 3, 2026, that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published a PFAS Plan, a “cross-government, science-led” plan to understand the impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on public health and the environment, with coordinated actions to minimize risks. Defra notes that there is no universally agreed definition of PFAS, but states that the Organisation for Economic...

Download a PDF of the Forecast 2026. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®), its global consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®), and consortia management affiliate B&C® Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) are pleased to share with you our Forecast 2026. Our distinguished global team of chemical experts worked hard to summarize our collective best guess on what to expect in the New Year regarding global industrial, agricultural, and biocidal chemical regulatory and policy...

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are attracting global legal, regulatory, commercial, and litigation attention as no other “emerging contaminant” has. Companies producing, processing, distributing, and/or using these substances must be aware of global legal and scientific developments and take steps now to minimize legal, regulatory, and commercial risk. Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and its global consulting affiliate The Acta Group (Acta®) have prepared...

The European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) met in December 2025. According to ECHA’s December 17, 2025, press release, RAC and SEAC progressed their evaluation of the updated proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. According to ECHA, both committees reached provisional...

On November 13, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a proposed rule to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 8(a)(7) regulation for reporting and recordkeeping requirements for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). 90 Fed. Reg. 50923. As reported in our October 3, 2023, memorandum, the final rule requires manufacturers (including importers) of PFAS and PFAS-containing articles in any year since 2011 through 2022 to report information...

On October 14, 2025, the Australia Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) announced that it has initiated an evaluation on the introduction and use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Australia under Section 74 of the Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 (IC Act). According to AICIS, the evaluation will review the 522 PFAS listed on the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals. The evaluation will confirm whether the listed PFAS have been introduced in Australia, and if so,...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on August 20, 2025, that it published an updated proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. The authorities from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden (Dossier Submitters) submitted the initial proposal in January 2023 and have now completed their evaluation of more than 5,600 scientific and...