“We shouldn’t go in this direction”

The EPA has known for years that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—known as “forever chemicals”—are incredibly harmful to human health and the environment. But despite claims to the contrary, a new study finds that PFAS levels in EPA-regulated pesticides aren’t going down. They’re going up.

What’s going on?

A key finding of the study, reported in a press release by the Center for Biological Diversity, was that 14% of the active ingredients in U.S. pesticides are PFAS — including many approved in the past decade. It also found that the chemicals are lurking in waterways across the country.

But what’s most disturbing, the CBD says, is that the EPA approved these toxic ingredients even after knowing about their effects. And the current pesticide regulatory framework, it says, “is not equipped to adequately identify and assess the risks of PFAS in pesticides.”

The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Why are PFAS so concerning?

“This is truly terrifying news,” said CBD’s Nathan Donley. “Adding pesticides to the everlasting chemicals will likely burden the next generation with more chronic diseases and untreatable burdens.”

“Toxic PFAS have no place in our food, water or homes, and pose a serious threat to our health and the environment,” reiterated David Andrews, Ph.D. of the Environmental Working Group. “PFAS (contamination) not only threatens farmworkers and communities, but also threatens water sources downstream where pesticide runoff can contaminate drinking water supplies.”

Kyla Bennett, a former EPA official who left the agency to join the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, told the Guardian the news.

“We should be eliminating PFAS from all products, but especially pesticides, because they’re being sprayed on crops, and there’s no more direct way to expose the population than that,” she said. “We shouldn’t be going down that road.”

According to the CDC, the risks to human health posed by PFAS include damage to the immune system, an increased risk of certain cancers, damage to internal organs, and risks to pregnancy and childbirth.

“I can’t think of a better way to poison people and the environment than by spraying our crops and homes with PFAS-containing pesticides,” Bennett said. “The blame for this contamination crisis lies squarely with the EPA.”

What actions are being taken to solve this problem?

The CBD has proposed a new and more stringent regulatory framework for the EPA. However, implementing these changes will be long and laborious, and even if they are introduced and implemented, there will be years of irreversible damage in the meantime.

As individual consumers, one of the most effective ways to keep yourself and your family safe is to buy your food from local farms—or even grow it yourself—to minimize your exposure to harmful commercial pesticides. You can also learn more about PFAS from resources like Food & Water Watch’s deep dive on the PFAS cover-up , and sign petitions and donate to nonprofits like F&WW and Bennett’s new home, PEER.

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