23 May 2018, Minnesota Legislature released a bill for an act HF 359 to expand the state's existing flame retardant restrictions and impose limits on the use of firefighting foam containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs).

This bill will prohibit manufacturing or selling residential upholstered furniture and children's products which containing any organ halogen flame retardant above 1000 parts per million (ppm) in any product component. It includes any chemical that contains one or more carbon elements and one or more halogen elements, such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine, or iodine.

The manufacture and import those products shall be banned from 1 July 2021, and retail shall be prohibited in a year later.

Following are several exemptions in the bill:

1. electronic components of covered products;
2. products or textiles for which there is a federal flammability standard;
3. thread or fibre used to stitch mattress components together;
4. components of adult mattresses other than foam.

At the same time, from 1 July 2020, no person, political subdivision or state agency shall discharge class B firefighting foam that contains intentionally added PFAS chemicals.

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Minnesota Bill HF 359

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