Conservative fifth circuit overturns EPA’s ban prohibiting Inhance from using manufacturing process creating toxic compound

A federal appeals court in the US has killed a ban on plastic containers contaminated with highly toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” found to leach at alarming levels into food, cosmetics, household cleaners, pesticides and other products across the economy.

Houston-based Inhance manufactures an estimated 200m containers annually with a process that creates, among other chemicals, PFOA, a toxic PFAS compound. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December prohibited Inhance from using the manufacturing process.

But the conservative fifth circuit court of appeals court overturned the ban. The judges did not deny the containers’ health risks, but said the EPA could not regulate the buckets under the statute it used.

The rule requires companies to alert the EPA if a new industrial process creates hazardous chemicals. Inhance has produced the containers for decades and argued that its process is not new, so it is not subject to the regulations. The EPA argued that it only became aware that Inhance’s process created PFOA in 2020, so it could be regulated as a new use, but the court disagreed.

  • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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    7 months ago

    Toxic Food Package Makers: “It’s not new”

    EPA: “We only found out about it four years ago”

    TFPM: “Yeah but it’s not new so you can’t regulate it.”

    Judge: “Sounds old to me, you’re allowed to continue poisoning everyone.”

    What a joke of a system of government. Total fucking clown show.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Right? You successfully hid a crime for years, now we must let you continue.

      What the ever loving fuck?

    • Maeve@kbin.social
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      7 months ago

      Yes, the clown chakra is certainly open, spewing it’s poison everywhere. The yellowjack transmissions coming through, showing us who we really are, what god we really serve. Probably a bunch of fine Christians are complicit and/or approve. The old gods need to die already.

      • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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        7 months ago

        The law authorizing the FDA to regulate food covers this. Congress gave the FDA the power to make these regulations.

        Don’t let anyone tell you we need a law for everything. There’s a reason why we don’t need new laws for everything toxic.

    • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I hope everyone of the judges on the 5th circuit eat from said containers. Fuck those sociopathic assholes.