Federal Appeals Court Overturns EPA’s Ban of PFAS in Manufacturing of Plastic Containers [Video]

Plastic bottles and containers like these are treated with fluorine gas to make them rigid, a process that also produces PFAS. fcafotodigital / iStock / Getty Images Plus

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the U.S. on March 21 overturned previous orders by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that banned the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in product packaging by a plastics treatment company, Inhance Technologies.

In December 2023, the EPA issued two orders for Houston-based Inhance Technologies to stop manufacturing PFAS, including PFOA, in its plastics treatment processes. Exposure to PFOA may be linked to higher risks of certain types of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. 

The PFAS are a byproduct from the company’s flourination process, which is used to …