Pesticides are Increasingly Forever Pollutants

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large class of human-made “forever chemicals” that resist breaking down and can build up in soil, water, wildlife, food, and people. Exposure to some PFAS is linked to serious health concerns, including immune system suppression, reduced vaccine response, endocrine disruption, changes in liver enzymes, elevated cholesterol, thyroid impacts, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia, lower birth weight, developmental harms, reproductive effects, and increased risk of kidney and testicular cancers.

These health concerns are especially troubling because PFAS exposures are cumulative and often come from multiple sources at once, including contaminated water, food, dust, consumer products, biosolids, and agricultural chemicals. Beyond Pesticides emphasizes that pesticide-related PFAS should be viewed through the lens of endocrine disruption and long-term biological effects, including changes to hormone signaling, reproductive development, immune function, and gene expression that may influence health across generations.

Beyond Pesticides’ work highlights that PFAS are not just a packaging or contamination problem—they are also built into some pesticide active ingredients and can transform into persistent breakdown products. Research shows that a significant share of conventional pesticide active ingredients are organofluorines, and that many newer active ingredients meet broader international definitions of PFAS. This matters because pesticides are intentionally released across farms, lawns, gardens, parks, schools, and communities, creating a direct pathway for PFAS to contaminate soil, waterways, crops, wildlife, farmworkers, and nearby residents.

Examples of pesticide active ingredients that researchers and advocates identify as PFAS or fluorinated “forever pesticides” concerns include:

• the insecticide bifenthrin
• the fungicides
  • fluopyram
  • fludioxonil
  • fluazinam
  • trifloxystrobin
• the herbicides

• flufenacet
  • diflufenican
  • trifluralin
  • norflurazon
  • oxyfluorfen
  • penthiopyrad
  • trifludimoxazin
  • epyrifenacil

These chemicals are hard to pronounce, but what's important to know is that they are widely used on or around food crops, turf, landscape, structural pest control, or other settings. Beyond Pesticides and allied researchers emphasize that these examples matter not only because of their toxicity as pesticides, but because fluorinated active ingredients and degradates—such as trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) from some fluorinated chemicals—can add long-lived contamination to soil and water.

Recent federal pesticide approvals have intensified these concerns. Since November 2025, the current administration has approved five pesticides that environmental health advocates identify as PFAS pesticides:  Cyclobutrifluram, isocycloseram, trifludimoxazin, diflufenican, and epyrifenacil. Three of those approvals—trifludimoxazin, diflufenican, and epyrifenacil—were finalized in July 2026, expanding use on major food crops such as wheat, oats, citrus, apples, almonds, corn, soybeans, canola, and peanuts. Advocates including Beyond Pesticides, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Environmental Working Group warn that this pattern represents a rapid expansion of persistent fluorinated pesticides, while at the same time, the public is calling for stronger PFAS protections in food and water.

Part of the reason these pesticides have received approval, is the EPA uses a narrower, case-by-case definition that can exclude some fluorinated pesticides from PFAS scrutiny, even when broader scientific and international definitions would capture them. From a precautionary public health perspective, the concern is clear: Harmful pesticides already pose risks to living systems. When they are also PFAS chemicals, their impacts can last longer and become harder to control. Stronger disclosure, independent testing, bans or phaseouts of PFAS pesticides, and a transition to organic and regenerative agricultural practices are needed to prevent further “forever chemical” contamination.

What you can do

• Choose organic: For example, certified organic beers tend to have the lowest levels of glyphosate and are already working to end pesticide use and improve agricultural practices in the supply chain.
• Ask questions: Contact brands and ask where they get their ingredients from. Do they have an integrated pest management plan throughout their supply chain?  Do they monitor the pesticides being used?
• Support better agriculture: Buy from producers using verified organic and regenerative practices that restrict pesticide reliance. At farmers market, ask farmers if they engage in organic practices even if they are not certified organic (which is expensive for small farms). 
• Advocate: Sign onto Green America’s action to B&G; submit comments to regulators; support policy proposals that lower tolerances and require more robust, independent testing.  There are apps like 5calls that make it easy and convenient to contact your elected officials. 
• Share information: Help others understand that “legal” does not always mean “safe,” and that repeated low-dose exposure is a key concern.
• Reduce overall exposure: Consider broader dietary shifts (more organic where feasible) and filter drinking water if relevant to your area.  EWG has a listing of water quality nationwide, including PFAS in drinking water. If you have PFAS, you want to look for filters that meet these standards: When choosing a filtering system, look for one that is “NSF/ANSI 53 certified” (activated carbon and ion exchange) or “NSF/ANSI 58 certified” (reverse osmosis). You can also find a list of filters certified by the National Sanitation Foundation to remove PFAS on the NSF website (under Reduction Claim, select “Total PFAS Reduction”). Regardless of the filter type, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and replace the cartridges or membranes as recommended.