Coalition Advocates Help to Ban Toxins from Menstrual Products in New York
By: Helana Shumway, Public Relations Coordinator
In the late hours of Friday, December 19, 2025, an important piece of New York State legislation – S.1548 (Fernandez) / A. 1502 (Rosenthal) – was signed into law, banning toxic chemicals like PFAS, parabens, lead, and other heavy metals from menstrual (period) products. The Breast Cancer Coalition’s Advocacy Committee and leadership were key players in supporting this bill and getting it across the finish line.
For context, the Coalition’s Advocacy Committee is a robust group of survivor advocates and dedicated community members determined to see a future without breast or gynecologic cancer, supporting legislation and policymaking on the local, state, and federal levels.
Much of the committee’s advocacy surrounds reducing the risk of exposure to toxic and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Such chemicals interfere with how hormones in the body work and have known links to hormone-based cancers like breast, ovarian, thyroid, and prostate, along with other health effects like fertility challenges and lowered immune function.
S.1548/A.1502 will go into effect in December 2026, banning the sale of menstrual products in New York State that contain these toxic chemicals. This is critical, as it is estimated that someone who menstruates will use around 10,000 period products over the course of their life – a clear indication of the vast and chronic exposure to dangerous ingredients.
The Coalition worked closely with NYS Senators and Assemblymembers in our 27-county region to secure key co-sponsors for S.1548/A.1502. Our committee supports bipartisan efforts to advance policy changes that impact those affected by (or those at risk of developing) breast and gynecologic cancers. We are grateful for our elected officials’ advocacy.
Coalition committee members also took action through signing petitions and making countless phone calls to Governor Hochul’s office asking her to sign the bill into law. They spoke with family members and friends to share the importance of this legislation, and they brainstormed news ways of collaborating with other organizations to advocate for its passage.
In October, we secured an op-ed in the Finger Lakes Times to spread awareness and urge the governor to act. Then in December, Christina Thompson, the Coalition’s Executive Director, penned a powerful commentary about the need for this legislation from the perspective of a breast cancer survivor and mother of two young girls. Published in the Times Union (an Albany-based publication), her piece called for Governor Hochul’s signature on the bill and garnered support from state and regional organizations like Clean + Healthy and Sierra Club.
From Coalition leadership to empowered survivor advocates to concerned community members, we made our voices heard through collaboration and steadfast dedication. Change happens when people come together with purpose. With the passage and signing of S.1548/A.1502, our community members in New York will no longer risk exposure to dangerous chemicals intentionally added into period products.
To learn more about the Coalition’s advocacy efforts or to join our Advocacy Committee, please email info@bccr.org.
