“Forever chemicals” are increasingly becoming more common in ingredients in pesticides, a finding that has environmental health advocates concerned about unknown toxic effects and calling for a regulatory clampdown.
A new study, published Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that 14 percent of all unique, conventional ingredients used to make pesticides are PFAS as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Researchers from the Center for Biological Diversity, Environmental Working Group and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility analyzed 471 EPA-registered pesticide ingredients revealed from Freedom of Information Act requests or online databases.
Of the 54 ingredients approved in the past 10 years, 16 — or 30 percent — of the ingredients were PFAS.
