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Committee hears bill to limit toxic metals in personal-care and menstrual products
Summary
HB7110 would impose enforceable limits, independent testing, reporting and labeling requirements for toxic metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic) in personal-care products and menstrual products. Supporters argued safer alternatives already exist and cited state precedents; industry letters of opposition raised implementation and cost concerns.
Representative Elzate presented House Bill 7110, the Personal Hygiene Products Safety and Toxic Metal Removal Act, telling the committee it would require independent testing, transparent reporting and labeling for products that come into repeated contact with skin or mucous membranes and would set enforceable limits for toxic metals such as lead, cadmium and arsenic.
Emily Howe testified the policy takes a common-sense, science-based approach and that safer products exist (she said many are produced in the European Union and sold in the U.S.). Howe cited independent testing that has found detectable levels of toxic metals in some personal-care items and said the bill includes a reasonable implementation timeline to allow manufacturers to reformulate and adjust supply chains. She referenced Oregon as a state that has adopted related measures.
Committee members raised points echoed in industry opposition letters: some opponents argue that trace metals can be soil-derived (for example, cotton grown in contaminated soil), that testing and reformulation could raise costs, and that implementation details matter. Members noted no industry representatives were present to answer technical questions and urged better engagement. Representative Fogarty recounted a personal cancer diagnosis and said she supported the bill as a public-health measure.
The committee closed the hearing; sponsors said they would provide technical details, state comparisons and lists of safer products for members to review.
