EPA approves new PFAS pesticides amid health warnings

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quietly approved three additional PFAS-based pesticides for use on crops, bringing the total approved during the second Trump administration to five. Only one PFAS pesticide was approved under the prior Biden administration. PFAS chemicals are linked to increased risks of cancer, obesity, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, reduced fertility, developmental disruptions, and immune system damage.

Nearly 40% of non‑organic fruits and vegetables grown in California— a state that supplies about half of the nation's vegetables and three‑quarters of its fruits and nuts—already contain trace amounts of PFAS pesticides. The EPA has also rolled back stricter drinking‑water limits on PFAS and redefined single‑fluorinated compounds as not being PFAS, a move critics say ignores global scientific consensus.

Environmental groups warn that the approvals reflect industry capture of the agency. “We’re seeing the Trump administration do everything they can to continue our exposure to PFAS,” said Jared Hayes of the Environmental Working Group. Independent toxicologist Alexandra Munoz called the EPA’s definition change “a disregard for gold‑standard science and the Americans that have been harmed by PFAS substances.”