Department of Ecology
Committees, Boards, and Workgroups

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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Where we are in the implementation process

We incorporated feedback from our stakeholders, conducted additional research, and submitted our final report on priority consumer products to the Legislature for their consideration. To review a summary of the updated list of priority products we included in our report, read our May 2020 stakeholder update.

We are now researching whether safer alternatives are available and feasible for the priority products we listed.

Learn about our Phase 3 work in our webinar materials

We hosted two webinars to outline our requirements in Phase 3 and our draft criteria for identifying safer alternatives to priority chemical classes that are feasible and available. We invited stakeholders to provide feedback, and we will continue offering more engagement opportunities as we develop the criteria further.

Please reach out to us at SaferProductsWA@ecy.wa.gov to share questions, comments, or information on our criteria. The criteria will serve as the technical foundation for our work throughout Phase 3, so we want to involve our stakeholders early in the process. To learn more, review the presentation slides from August 25 or from October 8, and read our question and answer document.

Stakeholder advisory process

The law requires us to develop a stakeholder advisory process by June 1, 2020. We have been working to 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.

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 70.240.010 
• Phenolic compounds
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

Learn more about PFAS and get information about how to reduce exposure to PFAS and other chemicals in your home.

The first five deadlines in the law are:

Related information and projects

• Learn how to reduce your exposure to PFAS in your home.
• Find more information about Ecology's PFAS Chemical Action Plan. 
• See updates on Ecology's PFAS in Food Packaging Alternatives Assessment.