At The Inspired Home Show in Chicago, the alliance of CBA, CSA, Latham & Watkins, and FEC presented an update on the latest regulatory developments affecting our industry.
The team of Fran Attilio (CBA), Stephen Burns (CSA), Tom Lee (Latham & Watkins) and Tobias Gerfin (FEC) has become a regular feature at the Inspiration Theater, providing valuable insights into the evolving regulatory landscape.
Steve Burns highlighted the intensive work carried out by CSA over the past year. In addition to PFAS, lead has become a key regulatory focus in several U.S. states. In Washington State, lawmakers initially proposed extremely low lead limits. Based on scientific evidence presented by CSA, the bill was adjusted to more reasonable levels — an excellent example of how scientific expertise can contribute constructively to the legislative process.
Tom Lee provided a deeper look into the complex patchwork of regulations across the United States. Beyond bans and restrictions, reporting and labeling requirements are becoming increasingly important. The prospect of individual labeling and reporting rules in each state is particularly concerning. In an era of online commerce, such fragmentation would be extremely difficult for companies to implement.
Tobias Gerfin briefly summarized the ECHA restriction proposal in Europe. At this stage, enforcement is not expected before the second half of 2028. He also highlighted the importance of CBA’s “Good Science” initiative, which aims to bring scientific context to the discussion around PFAS.
While certain PFAS are known to have negative health effects, concentrations of many of these substances in humans have been declining for more than 30 years. Therefore, the increasing prevalence of diseases such as MASLD cannot easily be explained by stable or decreasing PFAS exposure alone.
Thank you to IHA, IHS, and the entire team for the opportunity to present.
