Department of Ecology
Committees, Boards, and Workgroups

Stakeholder webpage

The Departments of Ecology and Health will use this site to share information and draft documents as we implement Chapter 70A.350 Revised Code of Washington (formerly Chapter 70.365 RCW). Our implementation program for the law is called Safer Products for Washington.

Subscribe to the SaferProductsWA email list to receive updates and invitations for public comment. Contact us at SaferProductsWA@ecy.wa.gov.

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We want to hear from you! Share input on our draft regulatory determinations

We published our draft report to the Legislature on regulatory determinations. It outlines draft regulatory determinations for our eleven categories of products. We appreciate your feedback. We welcome all input and encourage you to focus on:

• Whether you’re concerned about harmful chemicals in products you purchase or use.
• Whether the safer alternatives we identified will work for the intended purpose in the products you manufacture, sell, or use.
• How these potential determinations could be implemented if we finalize them—including time for compliance, existing product stocks, concentrations limits, testing methods, etc.

How to provide input:

• Join a public meeting to get your questions answered and share feedback.
• Register for January 5, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
• Register for January 6, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
• Use our online comment form.
• Public stakeholders and community members: View our story map on harmful chemicals in consumer products and then take a short public feedback survey.
• Send an email to our team at SaferProductsWA@ecy.wa.gov.
• Send us a written comment in the mail: Cheryl Niemi, Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.
• Call our team’s outreach staff at 360-999-7566 if you need translation or interpretation!

Starting the Safer Products for WA rulemaking process

All state regulations or “rules,” require us to go through a rulemaking process so that the public and stakeholders can weigh in on what we propose. We started a new rulemaking to develop Chapter 173-337 WAC – Safer Products Restrictions and Reporting, aiming to reduce toxic chemicals in consumer products.

After incorporating your input on the draft report, we’ll submit the final report to the Legislature in June 2022. In 2022, we’ll work out the specifics of our regulatory actions with stakeholders through the rulemaking process. That includes things like concentration limits on toxic chemicals, time to comply, and how to handle existing product stocks.

The timelines in our law—combined with our commitment to engage stakeholders throughout each stage of the process—mean we have to structure these processes (rulemaking and our draft legislative report) in parallel with one another. Learn more by reading our November 2021 rulemaking announcement. 

Ink product testing data in the draft regulatory determinations report

Our Product Testing Program collected ink product testing data that we included in the draft report on regulatory determinations. Stakeholders can review the Quality Assurance Project Plan for the ink products we tested, as well as the full results from the study in our product testing database, or in the one-page overview we created to share the results.

If you have questions, contact us at SaferProductsWA@ecy.wa.gov.

Orders for information from manufacturers

Part of our work to determine regulatory actions involves requesting information from manufacturers about their products. We request this information using Administrative Orders. While we must use an “order” to request the information, we want to emphasize that these orders are not associated with any manufacturer being out of compliance.

The information manufacturers must provide through these orders will help us assess the current presence of priority chemicals or chemical classes in priority products. If you manufacture a priority product included in our report to the Legislature, we may contact you to provide information about your use of priority chemicals. Manufacturers have six months to collect and submit the information to us, and they can request that we keep the information they submit confidential. Please reach out to us at SaferProductsWA@ecy.wa.gov if you have questions about the process for these orders.

Stakeholder advisory process

The law requires us to develop a stakeholder advisory process by June 1, 2020. We engage interested parties at every major stage in our implementation process. We aim for transparency and to involve our stakeholders in decisions affecting their lives and businesses. To learn more about our progress to date, read our stakeholder engagement process (updated November 2021).

Safer Products for Washington background

Chapter 70A.350 RCW (formerly Chapter 70.365 RCW) creates a process for Ecology, in consultation with Health, to regulate classes of chemicals in consumer products. The law requires us to designate priority chemicals, identify products that contain these chemicals, determine regulatory actions, and adopt rules to implement regulatory actions. Chemical restrictions require that safer alternatives are feasible and available. The law outlines steps that involve stakeholder consultation, legislative reporting, and rulemaking.

The first set of priority chemical classes were identified in the law. They are:

• Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) 
• Phthalates
• Organohalogen flame retardants and flame retardants identified in RCW 70A.430 
• Phenolic compounds
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

The first set of priority products we identified in our 2020 priority products report are below. You can also view the comments we received on the priority products report. 

• Flame retardants
  • Electric and electronic equipment
  • Recreational polyurethane foam
• PCBs
  • Paints and printing inks
• PFAS
  • Carpet and rugs
  • Aftermarket stain and water resistance treatments
  • Leather and textile furnishings
• Phenolic compounds 
  • Laundry detergent (alkylphenol ethoxylates)
  • Thermal paper (bisphenols)
  • Food and drink cans (bisphenols)
• Phthalates
  • Vinyl flooring
  • Personal care products

The first five deadlines in the law are:

Related information and projects

• Learn how to reduce your exposure to PFAS in your home.
  • En español: Mantenga su hogar y su familia sanos: Reduzca su exposición a las PFAS
• Learn how to reduce your exposure to flame retardants in your home.
  • En español: Reduzca su exposición a materiales resistentes al fuego
• Find more information about Ecology's PFAS Chemical Action Plan. 
• See updates on Ecology's PFAS in Food Packaging Alternatives Assessment. 

ADA Accessibility: The Department of Ecology is committed to providing people with disabilities access to information and services by meeting or exceeding the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Washington State Policy #188. To request an ADA accommodation, contact Ecology by phone at 360-999-7566 or email at hwtrpubs@ecy.wa.gov. For Washington Relay Service or TTY call 711 or 877-833-6341. Visit Ecology’s website for more information.