A new report shows that nearly 40% of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables tested by California regulators have residues of “forever” or PFAS chemicals, a family of compounds that can be lasting and harmful.
The Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., reviewed California’s own test data and found PFAS pesticide residues on peaches, grapes and strawberries, and about three dozen other types of fruits and vegetables.
The chemicals have have increasingly been used in agricultural chemicals in recent years.
“Here’s the thing: This is an emerging threat,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director for the Center for Biological Diversity, who was not involved in the report. “PFAS pesticides went from being the exception to now they’re the rule.”
More than 90% of nectarine, peach and plum samples tested contained the PFAS fungicide fludioxonil. The fungicide is sprayed on the fruits after harvest to prevent mold. More than 80% of the cherries, strawberries and grapes sampled carried PFAS residue.
The group relied on data collected in 2023 by California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, a branch of CalEPA.
There are thousands of PFAS chemicals used in consumer products, electronics, pharmaceuticals and pesticides. They are prized by product manufacturers for their strength, persistence and water resistance. However, many are considered highly toxic, even at very low levels. They’ve been linked to immune suppression, cancer and reproductive and developmental health disruptions and toxicity. They’ve also been linked to ecosystem damage, harming aquatic animals and wildlife.
The vast majority of PFAS chemicals have not been tested for human health effects.
“At a time when most industries are transitioning away from PFAS chemicals, the pesticide industry is actually doubling down on them,” said Donley, who has published papers on the issue. “I think that the persistence of these chemicals is certainly playing a role” in why industries find them desirable, he said.
“But then again, you get a whole heck of a lot more collateral damage when you have a pesticide that sticks around as long as DDT does,” he said.
Regulators say that not all PFAS chemicals are the same. While some can persist for thousands of years, others break down much more quickly. They also say the ones used in approved pesticides are vetted for human health impacts, as well as ecosystem impacts — such as how they could affect pollinators, aquatic organisms and other wildlife. There are also strict usage requirements that limit the amount of chemicals applied to food, they say.
“Before any pesticide can be sold or used in California, DPR (Department of Pesticide Regulation) conducts a thorough scientific review. This includes evaluating both the active ingredients and full product formulations to understand how long the chemicals remain in the environment and how they break down, which is a key concern for PFAS compounds,” said Amy MacPherson, a spokeswoman for the pesticide agency.
In addition, she said, while the report looks at “detections” of PFAS chemicals, her agency “looks at how those detections compare to federal tolerance levels.”
She said this is important because “detection alone … does not necessarily mean there’s a health risk. Tolerance levels consider lifelong, daily exposure that pose a reasonable certainty of no harm, inclusive of chronic risk.”
Varun Subramaniam, a co-author of the report and a health data specialist with the Environmental Working Group, said he focused on California for two reasons: California’s pesticide department is one of the few, if not only, state agencies to do this kind of testing; and the state is one of the nation’s largest producers of fruits and vegetables.
“Things that are grown in California tend to spread across the country,” said Subramaniam, who is working on a national report documenting the use of these pesticides. “We thought California was a good starting point.”
Roughly 70 PFAS pesticides are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, accounting for about 14% of all active pesticide ingredients. California has registered 53 PFAS pesticides.
According to the report, about 2.5 million pounds of PFAS pesticides are applied annually on California cropland.
Both Subramaniam and Donley said states such as Maine, Rhode Island, Minnesota and North Carolina are “way ahead” of California in considering the harm these chemicals pose to people and ecosystems, and are trying to ban them.
“These chemicals are really top of mind in the East Coast, especially in New England states where … this story has been going on for decades,” he said.
Subramaniam said people should wash their produce before eating, and opt for organic fruits and vegetables when they can — organic farmers cannot use these chemicals on their produce.
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