S. 1334 · 117th Congress
PFAS Accountability Act of 2021
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Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 117th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.
D
GillibrandSponsor3 cosponsors · 2 D, 1 I
0 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.
This bill provides a cause of action under the Toxic Substances Control Act for individuals or classes of individuals who were significantly exposed to perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. These substances are man-made and may have adverse human health effects.
What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in Senate · Apr 22, 2021
PFAS Accountability Act of 2021
This bill provides a cause of action under the Toxic Substances Control Act for individuals or classes of individuals who were significantly exposed to perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. These substances are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain the compounds, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing.
Specifically, the bill provides a cause of action those who were significantly exposed to PFAS (or have reasonable grounds to believe they were exposed) against persons who engaged in any portion of a manufacturing process that created the PFAS and foresaw (or reasonably should have foreseen) the creation or use of PFAS would result in human exposure.
The bill authorizes a court to award medical monitoring to claimants if (1) they have been significantly exposed to PFAS, (2) they have an increased risk of developing a disease associated with such exposure, (3) the increased risk provides a reasonable basis to conclude that periodic diagnostic medical examinations is necessary, and (4) the medical examinations are effective in detecting a disease associated with PFAS exposure.
The bill establishes a presumption of significant exposure to PFAS if the claimant (1) provides medical results proving the presence of PFAS in the body, or (2) demonstrates the defendant's manufacturing process created the PFAS to which the claimant was exposed and the PFAS were released into one or more areas where the claimant would have been exposed for at least one year.
Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov
About this bill and sources
Official title: PFAS Accountability Act of 2021
Latest action (Apr 22, 2021): Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Policy area: Environmental Protection · Origin: Senate · Introduced: Apr 22, 2021
Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)
No recorded floor vote found.