The EPA has approved three new PFAS-based pesticides for use on food crops, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
One of the newly approved pesticides was previously flagged by EPA scientists as having "suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential."
EWG is urging regulators to pause additional PFAS pesticide approvals while more research is conducted on their long-term and cumulative health effects.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved three pesticides containing PFAS — often called "forever chemicals" because they can persist in the environment for long periods — according to a recent report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
The nonprofit says the approvals bring the total number of PFAS pesticides authorized by the agency to five – all in less than two years.
The newly approved pesticides are trifludimoxazin, diflufenican, and epyrifenacil. The EWG says they can now be used on a variety of food crops, including wheat, citrus, and other agricultural products.
“The EPA’s hands-off approach to pesticide mixtures is leaving families exposed to a cocktail of forever chemicals on their food,” Varun Subramaniam, a science analyst at the Environmental Working Group, said in a news release.
“We know ultra-short-chain PFAS like TFA [trifluoroacetic acid] are accumulating in the environment and pose potential reproductive risks, yet regulators assess these hazards one by one and without considering the full range of potential health harms. The science shows combined chemical exposure can amplify health harms, but the EPA is consistently failing to enforce the extra safety protections legally required to safeguard children during pregnancy and early life.”
Why is the EWG concerned?
According to the EWG, one of the newly approved herbicides — trifludimoxazin — was cleared for use despite EPA documents describing it as having "suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential." The group also says the chemical can degrade into multiple persistent PFAS compounds after it is applied.
Beyond the three new approvals, the EWG notes that the EPA also expanded approved uses for bifenthrin, a PFAS pesticide the agency has previously classified as a possible human carcinogen.
The organization's broader concern is that regulators evaluate pesticides individually rather than considering how multiple PFAS chemicals might interact or contribute to overall exposure.
The EWG also says many PFAS pesticides have not undergone updated developmental, reproductive ,or immune-system toxicity testing, and argues that waiving certain studies leaves important questions unanswered. As a result, the group is calling on the EPA to halt additional PFAS pesticide approvals until more comprehensive testing and cumulative risk assessments are completed.
“By the time these PFAS residues reach our plates, they have become part of a toxic cocktail that may suppress the immune system and harm reproductive health,” said Subramaniam. “That raises serious concerns about the long-term health risks of using these chemicals on food crops.”
“We’re spraying millions of pounds of chemicals on food without understanding their full health impacts or considering what little we do already know. It’s unconscionable.”
What this means for consumers
For shoppers, the EWG says the findings shouldn't discourage people from eating fruits and vegetables.
“A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is essential,” said Subramaniam. “Families should enjoy the significant health benefits of consuming produce while making informed choices to reduce pesticide exposure, particularly for children, without sacrificing nutrition."
Instead, the EWG says consumers should stay informed about PFAS research while regulators continue to study the chemicals' long-term health effects. The group is urging the EPA to require additional testing for PFAS pesticides, evaluate the combined effects of exposure to multiple PFAS compounds, expand environmental monitoring, and require fuller disclosure of pesticide ingredients.
According to the EWG, stronger oversight would help address unanswered questions about how these persistent chemicals behave in the environment and what their long-term impact could be on people and ecosystems.
“Allowing an avalanche of new PFAS pesticides onto our fields will never make America healthy again,” Jared Hayes, senior policy analyst at the EWG, said in the release.
“Contaminating our agricultural fields with persistent forever chemicals does nothing to help the farmers who work tirelessly to feed us. By prioritizing corporate chemical approvals over public health, the EPA is actively undermining both our long-term food security and the very farming communities we rely on,” said Hayes.