Every year, an average of 2.5 million pounds of pesticides containing PFAS, known as ‘forever chemicals’ are sprayed on California crop fields, according to a new analysis and interactive map from the Environmental Working Group.
EWG, a non-profit, found heavy PFAS pesticide use on some of California’s most iconic and lucrative crops such as almonds, pistachios, wine grapes, alfalfa and tomatoes.
“Every pound of forever chemicals used on farmland presents a risk of contamination of our food, our water and soil. It doesn’t make sense when plenty of non-PFAS pesticides are readily available,” said Jarod Hayes, senior policy analyst at EWG and the author of the report.
EWG reviewed 66 PFAS registered as active pesticide ingredients permitted in the US for use to kill fungi, insects or weeds. The team found that 52 of those PFAS were used in 58 California counties from 2018 to 2023.
PFAS can also be found in pesticides as inert, or inactive, ingredients, which means they don’t address pests directly but can enhance how well a pesticide works.
“PFAS pesticides are a significant but overlooked health risk for millions of people,” said Scott Faber, EWG senior vice president for government affairs. “The potential health threat of PFAS pesticides has led other countries to ban them.”
In light of concerns about PFAS pesticides’ environmental and health harms, the EU has already banned many, including two of the chemicals most used on California crops: bifenthrin and trifluralin.
European regulators have also declined to renew the approval of the agriculture chemical flufenacet because of thyroid harm and groundwater contamination risk. Campaigners at PAN Europe and Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) have challenged the 18 month grace period allowing for the chemical to continue to be used on crops.
Denmark prohibited six PFAS pesticide ingredients in July 2025 after detecting them in groundwater.
A new Swedwatch report also highlighted how pesticides banned in the EU continue to be exported to countries outside the Union, where their use harms farm workers and ecosystems. Focusing on Kenya as a case study, the report exposes a global pattern of toxic double standards — and calls on European policymakers, as well as food and pesticide companies, to take responsibility.
