Toxic Pfas residue identified on 37% of California produce, new analysis finds | Pfas
A first-of-its-kind analysis detected Pfas pesticide residues in 37% of traditional California crops; peaches, strawberries and grapes were almost always found to be contaminated with toxic “forever chemicals.”
The analysis coincides with the passage of California legislation that will completely ban the use of Pfas as an active ingredient in pesticides by 2035 and require warning labels and other restrictions in the meantime.
The nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) conducted an analysis of California pesticide regulation residue testing records. It found that approximately 90% of peaches, plums, and nectarines contained Pfas residues, while strawberries and grapes contained 80% of Pfas residues. Bernadette Del Chiaro, senior vice president of EWG’s California operations, said these levels are particularly concerning because children often eat fruits such as grapes and strawberries, and children are most at risk from the toxic effects of chemicals.
“Most consumers do not expect to find Pfas ‘the forever chemical’ in their strawberries; I think this information is shocking to most people,” Del Chiaro added.
PFAs are a class of at least 16,000 compounds typically used to make common products that are resistant to water, stains, and heat. These are called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down and accumulate naturally and have been linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver problems, immune disorders, birth defects and other serious health problems.
Advocates begin sounding the alarm about Pfas in pesticides in 2023. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Joe Biden sought to discredit the author of a study identifying chemicals in pesticides, the EPA under Donald Trump increased the number of Pfas recommended for use on crops.
A 2023 analysis of EPA data found that at least 60% of active ingredients federally approved for use in commonly used pesticides in recent years met the most widely accepted definition of Pfas. The chemical is added as an active ingredient to plant pesticides to kill weeds or pests.
EWG analyzed records of 930 samples of 78 non-organic types of fruits and vegetables grown in California.
It found that 348 samples, or 37%, showed residues of Pfas. Nearly 40 different types of fruit and vegetables contained residue, meaning at least half of all crop varieties had been treated with Pfas pesticides.
The chemicals not only pose a problem for food, they also persist in the environment and contaminate drinking water supplies. The city of Fresno, located in an agricultural region A lawsuit was recently filed Pfas producers due to groundwater contamination that exceeds federal limits by 600%. The contamination affects more than 120,000 homes.
An earlier EWG analysis of state records found that 2.5 million pounds of Pfa are spread annually on cropland in California.
“There’s a chemical in society at large that we’re trying to remove from our environment and our drinking water… but on the other side, there’s a regulatory agency that allows it to be used on crops,” Del Chiaro said.
Their health effects are largely unclear because Pfas pesticides are a relatively new topic for researchers and little data is available beyond that produced by industry.
“We know Pfas can be dangerous, we know pesticides can be dangerous, but we really don’t know enough about this new exposure pathway that’s been understudied,” said Varun Subramaniam, EWG analyst and co-author of the report.
He stated that the product may contain more than one type of Pfas pesticide. Ten products are approved for use on strawberries, but the regulatory system only takes into account the risks of one pesticide; although humans are not generally exposed to these pesticides.
“We know that people are exposed to cocktails of pesticides, and the literature shows that these combinations can often be more harmful, so this is a blind spot for EPA right now,” Subramaniam said.
Proposed legislation in California would ban the use of Pfas as an active ingredient in pesticides by 2035. By 2030, 23 Pfas pesticides already banned by the European Union but still used in the United States will also be banned in California. The bill would also impose a moratorium on approving new Pfas pesticides and require labels to warn farmers who advocates say often didn’t know their pesticides contained Pfas.
It is almost certain that the pesticide industry will launch a violent campaign against the legislation. Maine and Minnesota have already passed similar bans, making it more likely to pass in California. While the state has often spearheaded new environmental protections, Gavin Newsom, governor of California and one of the leading potential candidates for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, is currently sensitive to industry influenceespecially regarding Pfas legislation.
In December, the California legislature passed by a wide margin a bill that would have banned Pfas in cookware and other everyday products, but Newsom vetoed it after receiving pressure from the cookware industry and celebrity chefs. So far he hasn’t said anything about pesticide legislation.
California assemblyman Nick Schultz, who wrote the bill, said in a statement that he did not want his children to “eat strawberries contaminated with chemicals that will remain in their bodies for decades.”
“We are providing our farmers with a clear and responsible roadmap to transition away from these persistent chemicals and reestablish California as a global leader in food safety,” Schultz added.
