They’re spraying PFAS on our food, and the public has no idea.

PFAS—per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—are synthetic chemicals engineered to resist heat, oil, and water. Their carbon-fluorine bonds, among the strongest in chemistry, make them incredibly stable and essentially non-degradable in nature. Developed in the 1940s, PFAS found early use in industrial applications, firefighting foams, and consumer products like nonstick cookware, waterproof fabrics, and food packaging. But in recent decades, they’ve entered an entirely new arena: agriculture.

PFAS now reach food crops through four primary routes: as active ingredients in pesticides, as unlabeled co-formulants or impurities in pesticide mixtures, as leachates from fluorinated containers, and via biosolids (processed sewage sludge) applied to soil as fertilizer. Each of these vectors has been confirmed in the scientific literature. And yet, none of them are disclosed to consumers—and few are understood even by farmers themselves.

In California, the state’s comprehensive pesticide reporting system shows that more than 15 million pounds of PFAS-containing pesticides were sprayed between 2018 and 2023. These included dozens of registered active ingredients used on almonds, tomatoes, grapes, pistachios, and alfalfa—commodities that make their way into baby food, school lunches, and livestock feed. These chemicals aren’t legacy contaminants drifting in from past manufacturing; they’re new PFAS chemistries, registered and sprayed intentionally. In 2025, EPA approved two more: cyclobutrifluram and isocycloseram, which are now allowed on leafy greens, peas, citrus, cottonseed, and more. Both belong to chemical families that degrade into smaller PFAS over time.

But most pesticide users—and the public—remain unaware that PFAS are involved at all. That’s because PFAS can be present as so-called “inert” ingredients in pesticide formulations. These aren’t disclosed on product labels and are often shielded under confidential business information protections. In one study published in Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters, researchers found PFOS, a toxic and globally restricted PFAS, in six of ten common agricultural insecticides at concentrations between 3.9 and 19.2 mg/kg. Soil and plant samples taken from fields where these insecticides were used also tested positive for PFAS.

Still more PFAS reach food crops through biosolids. These are the solids left over from wastewater treatment, marketed as free or low-cost fertilizer. Because PFAS survive the treatment process intact, they concentrate in biosolids. Farmers apply them to fields unaware they are seeding the soil with persistent organic pollutants. Multiple studies—including field trials on lettuce, tomatoes, and corn—confirm that PFAS are taken up by plants from these soils. Short-chain PFAS like PFBA and PFPeA, which are highly mobile, accumulate especially in leafy tissues. Even single applications of industrially impacted biosolids can lead to measurable contamination of plants and runoff.

EPA’s biosolids regulations do not yet include enforceable limits for PFAS, though states like Maine have begun to act independently. In 2022, Maine banned all land application of biosolids after PFAS were detected in soil, groundwater, milk, and meat from affected farms.

Why does this matter? Because PFAS are toxic at vanishingly small doses and build up over time. CDC biomonitoring shows that over 97% of Americans have detectable PFAS in their blood. Studies confirm PFAS in umbilical cord blood, placenta, and breast milk, meaning exposures begin in utero and continue through infancy.

The most consistently demonstrated health effect of PFAS is immune suppression. The National Toxicology Program classifies PFOS and PFOA as presumed human immune hazards. In a landmark study published in JAMA, researchers found that children with higher blood PFAS levels had significantly reduced antibody responses to routine childhood vaccines. A 2024 follow-up in Environmental Research found that early-life exposure was associated with lower antibodies to MMR and tetanus vaccines at 18 months.

But the harms do not stop there. The C8 Science Panel, convened as part of a class-action settlement, found probable links between PFOA exposure and testicular cancer, kidney cancer, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Other studies associate PFAS with liver damage, endocrine disruption, lowered birth weight, preeclampsia, miscarriage, and altered adolescent blood pressure. These effects are not rare, nor are they confined to occupationally exposed populations. They appear at exposure levels already present in the general public.

And still, the approvals continue. In 2023, EPA adopted a narrowed definition of PFAS for regulatory purposes, excluding molecules with only a single fluorinated carbon atom—even when those degrade into terminal PFAS like trifluoroacetic acid, which contaminates rainfall, aquifers, and drinking water. This definition allows chemical manufacturers to claim their products are not PFAS while distributing substances that contribute to the same environmental and biological burden. It is, in effect, a definitional loophole designed to support continued PFAS pesticide approvals.

This is where the public must intervene. Moms Across America, a grassroots nonprofit, has taken the lead along with Friends of the Earth. Their independently funded food testing programs have documented PFAS contamination in grocery staples, fast food, and even school lunches. Their advocacy has challenged EPA policies and pesticide registrations, exposed conflicts of interest, and pushed for state-level bans and reforms. They are calling for a national ban on PFAS pesticides, strict limits or prohibitions on biosolids use in agriculture, and full public disclosure of all pesticide ingredients—including inerts.

Children’s Health Defense’s Michael Kane recently interviewed Sarah Starman of Friends of the Earth. They tested and found pesticides in Target’s baby food. “There were 29 toxic pesticides in the baby food.”; “…we found FIVE pesticides that are PFAS or forever chemicals, including one PFAS pesticide that’s actually BANNED in the U.S.”; “…16 pesticides that are classified as highly HAZARDOUS to human health or the environment, 10 pesticides that are BANNED in the European Union, pesticides linked to cancer to hormone disruption to neurotoxicity…”. Credit: CHDTv

Moms Across America had previously reported finding PFAS and Ag toxicants in 100% of fast foods they tested.

PFAS are not merely industrial waste—they are now a daily dietary exposure to millions. Big Chem and Big Ag are conducting one of the world’s largest uncontrolled environmental toxicology studies ever conducted, as we are are all enrolled without consent.

Each untreated biosolid application, each unlabeled pesticide spray, each regulatory approval expands the chemical fingerprint of PFAS on our land, food, and bodies. What you eat today may contain what should have been classified as hazardous waste.

The public health case is clear. What remains is the political will. Support Moms Across America. Support Friends of the Earth. Educate your local officials. Demand legislation. Do not wait for federal regulators to catch up—because the chemicals are not waiting. They are already here. And they are built to last.

Known Health Effects

Immune System Effects

• Reduced vaccine response in children and adults (e.g., diminished antibodies to tetanus, diphtheria, MMR)

• Increased risk of infections due to weakened immune function

• General immunosuppression (classified as a “presumed immune hazard” by the National Toxicology Program)

Cancer

• Testicular cancer (especially with PFOA exposure)

• Kidney cancer

• Liver cancer (confirmed in animal studies; suspected in humans)

• Pancreatic tumors (in rodents)

Lipid and Liver Disorders

• Elevated total and LDL cholesterol

• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

• Elevated liver enzymes (ALT, AST)

• Hepatocellular hypertrophy in toxicology models

Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Effects

• Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

• Cognitive deficits and executive dysfunction

• Possible IQ reductions with prenatal exposure

Pregnancy and Reproductive Disorders

• Preeclampsia and gestational hypertension

• Decreased fertility in women

• Reduced sperm count and motility in men

• Hormonal disruption (especially thyroid and sex hormones)

• Increased risk of miscarriage

• Earlier onset of menopause

Fetal and Early-Life Outcomes

• Reduced birth weight

• Small for gestational age (SGA)

• Delayed pubertal development

• Altered hormone levels in infancy and adolescence

Endocrine Disruption

• Thyroid disease (especially hypothyroidism in women)

• Altered levels of testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone

• Impaired insulin sensitivity

Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases

• Ulcerative colitis (strongly linked in high-exposure populations)

• Rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune syndromes (suggestive evidence)

• Elevated inflammatory markers in serum

Cardiovascular and Metabolic Effects

• Increased blood pressure (including in children)

• Hypertension during pregnancy

• Elevated triglycerides and risk of metabolic syndrome

• Possible increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease

Other Observed Effects

• Bone density reduction

• Changes in kidney function markers (e.g., eGFR, serum creatinine)

• Elevated serum uric acid (linked to gout)

Further Reading

Agricultural sources, biosolids, and plant uptake

1. Donley N, Cox C, Bennett K, Temkin AM, Andrews DQ, Naidenko OV. Forever pesticides: a growing source of PFAS contamination in the environment. Environ Health Perspect. 2024;132(7):75003. doi:10.1289/EHP13954. PMID: 39046250.

2. Lasee S, Wilks A, Smalling KL, et al. Targeted analysis and total oxidizable precursor assay of several insecticides for PFAS. J Hazard Mater Lett. 2022;3:100067. doi:10.1016/j.hazl.2022.100067.

3. Blaine AC, Rich CD, Hundal LS, Lau C, Mills MA, Harris KM, Higgins CP. Uptake of perfluoroalkyl acids into edible crops via land applied biosolids: field and greenhouse studies. Environ Sci Technol. 2013;47(24):14062‑14069. doi:10.1021/es403094q. PMID: 24206563.

4. Wen B, Li L, Zhang H, Ma Y, Shan X‑Q, Zhang S. Field study on the uptake and translocation of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown in biosolids‑amended soils. Environ Pollut. 2014;184:547‑554. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2013.09.040. PMID: 24184376.

5. Costello MCS, Lee LS. Sources, fate, and plant uptake in agricultural systems of per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Curr Pollut Rep. 2024;10:799‑819. doi:10.1007/s40726‑020‑00168‑y.

6. Oviedo‑Vargas D, Gottschall N, Johnson G, et al. Quantification of PFAS in soils treated with biosolids in ten U.S. states. Sci Rep. 2025;15:Article s41598‑025‑90184‑z. doi:10.1038/s41598‑025‑90184‑z.

7. Kim Lazcano R, Choi YJ, Mashtare ML, Lee LS. Characterizing and comparing per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances in commercially available biosolid and organic non‑biosolid‑based products. Environ Sci Technol. 2020;54(14):8640‑8648. doi:10.1021/acs.est.9b07281.

8. Sepulvado JG, Blaine AC, Hundal LS, Higgins CP. Occurrence and fate of perfluorochemicals in soil following the land application of municipal biosolids. Environ Sci Technol. 2011;45(19):8106‑8112. doi:10.1021/es103903d.

9. Rankin K, Mabury SA, Jenkins TM, Washington JW. A North American and global survey of perfluoroalkyl substances in surface soils: distribution patterns and mode of occurrence. Chemosphere. 2016;161:333‑341. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.06.109.

10. Zhang M, Wang P, Lu Y, et al. Bioaccumulation and human exposure of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in vegetables from the largest vegetable production base of China. Environ Int. 2020;135:105347. doi:10.1016/j.envint.2019.105347.

11. Wen B, Li L, Zhang H, Ma Y, Shan X‑Q, Zhang S. Mechanistic and field studies on PFOS/PFOA and related PFAAs in plants and soils (suite of work including plant‑uptake and protein/lipid correlations).

General PFAS class, occurrence, and testing frameworks

12. Evich MG, Davis MJB, McCord JP, et al. Per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the environment. Science. 2022;375(6580):eabg9065. doi:10.1126/science.abg9065. PMID: 35113710.

13. ATSDR. Toxicological Profile for Perfluoroalkyls (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances). Atlanta, GA: Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2021.

14. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Guidance on PFAS Exposure, Testing, and Clinical Follow‑Up. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2022. doi:10.17226/26156.

Immune effects and vaccine response

15. Grandjean P, Andersen EW, Budtz‑Jørgensen E, et al. Serum vaccine antibody concentrations in children exposed to perfluorinated compounds. JAMA. 2012;307(4):391‑397. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.2034. PMID: 22274686.

16. Sigvaldsen A, Højsager FD, Paarup HM, et al. Early‑life exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and serum antibody concentrations towards common childhood vaccines in 18‑month‑old children in the Odense Child Cohort. Environ Res. 2024;242:117814. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.117814. PMID: 38042520.

17. NTP (National Toxicology Program). Monograph on Immunotoxicity Associated With Exposure to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS). Research Triangle Park, NC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2016.

18. DeWitt JC, et al. (Zurich II Statement on Per‑ and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Drinking Water.)

Cancer and chronic disease (touched on conceptually; only fully verified items listed)

19. Vieira VM, Hoffman K, Shin HM, Weinberg JM, Webster TF, Fletcher T. Perfluorooctanoic acid exposure and cancer outcomes in a contaminated community: a geographic analysis. Environ Health Perspect. 2013 Mar;121(3):318-23. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1205829. Epub 2013 Jan 8. PMID: 23308854; PMCID: PMC3621179.

20. Additional epidemiologic papers on kidney cancer, testicular cancer, ulcerative colitis, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, dyslipidemia, and thyroid disease were referenced conceptually from the ATSDR toxicological profile and NASEM 2022 report.

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