California has passed so many laws to get these highly persistent, harmful synthetic chemicals out of homes and the environment, the assemblymember said at a briefing Wednesday, he was shocked to learn that pesticides with intentionally added PFAS are regularly sprayed on the state\u2019s crops.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was even more startled to find out that these PFAS pesticides are present on the fruit and vegetables that we purchase at the grocery store, on the fruits and vegetables that we feed our families,\u201d Schultz said.<\/p>\n
More than 2.5 million pounds of pesticides containing PFAS were sprayed on California crops between 2018 and 2023, according to an analysis<\/a> of state pesticide use data by the Environmental Working Group, which is co-sponsoring Schultz\u2019s bill with other public-interest<\/a> and health groups.<\/p>\n EWG also detected residues of at least one PFAS pesticide on nearly 40 percent<\/a> of conventional produce grown in the Golden State.<\/p>\n EWG always advises consumers to wash their produce. But it\u2019s unclear whether rinsing fruits and vegetables laced with chemicals designed to resist water would have any effect.<\/p>\n The Environmental Protection Agency has said<\/a> that the pesticides pose no risks when used as directed.<\/p>\n More than half a million pounds of PFAS pesticides were applied in Monterey County, where for decades University of California, Berkeley, researchers have studied how pesticides affect farmworker communities. The pioneering research<\/a> in the Salinas Valley has linked pesticide exposure to a variety of health problems in children.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cStudies have shown that Salinas children are born with higher levels of pesticides in their urine and experience early cognitive difficulties and later develop serious behavioral and mental health problems in adolescence and adulthood,\u201d said Andrew Sandoval, a Salinas city council member. \u201cNow we\u2019re learning that some of these pesticides are not only linked to serious health concerns, but also forever chemicals.\u201d<\/p>\n And these highly persistent toxic chemicals were applied more than 1,000 times between 2018 and 2023 in Monterey County, he said, more than in nearly any other California county<\/a>.<\/p>\n PFAS have nearly indestructible chemical bonds that allow them to resist water, grease and heat, making them valuable ingredients in hundreds of consumer products, including food packaging, cookware, dental floss, cosmetics and outdoor gear. But the same properties that make these industrial chemicals commercially attractive have allowed them to build up in the environment and the tissues of wildlife and people around the globe.<\/p>\n Thanks to the chemicals\u2019 widespread commercial appeal, nearly every American has PFAS in their blood<\/a>, where it stays for years and leads to serious health problems<\/a>\u2014impaired vaccine response, higher cholesterol levels, increased risk of kidney and testicular cancer and lower birth weight, among other ills.\u00a0<\/p>\n The EPA has approved 70 active-ingredient PFAS pesticides, and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation has allowed 53 of these PFAS pesticides to be used in the state, Schultz\u2019s bill notes. For the 23 California-approved PFAS pesticides that are prohibited in the European Union, the ban would begin five years earlier, in 2030.<\/p>\n The European Union has outlawed two of the most commonly applied pesticides, bifenthrin and trifluralin, due to health and environmental concerns, said EWG science analyst Varun Subramaniam.\u00a0<\/p>\n This story is funded by readers like you.<\/p>\n Our nonprofit newsroom provides award-winning climate coverage free of charge and advertising. We rely on donations from readers like you to keep going. Please donate now to support our work.<\/p>\n Donate Now<\/a> <\/p>\n Yet California farmers sprayed nearly 4 million pounds of the toxic chemicals on fruits and vegetables over six years.<\/p>\n The most frequently detected pesticide on produce was fludioxonil, a PFAS fungicide linked to hormone disruption and reproductive problems<\/a>, Subramaniam said. The toxic compound tainted 90 percent of tested nectarine, plum and peach samples grown in California.<\/p>\n PFAS pesticides have largely been used in California with no limitations, and we\u2019re only just beginning to understand their long-lasting effects, Subramaniam said. \u201cAs the breadbasket of the United States,\u201d he added, \u201cresidues that are found on produce grown in California will spread across the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
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