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EWG scientist tells Vermont committee PFAS pesticides show up on grocery produce, urges limits
Summary
Varun Supermaniam of the Environmental Working Group told the Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry committee that EWG found 31 PFAS pesticide active ingredients on U.S. grocery produce, appearing on 30% of nonorganic samples; he outlined exposure pathways, health risks and regulatory gaps.
Varun Supermaniam, a science analyst at the Environmental Working Group, told the Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry committee that EWG’s analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture testing data detected 31 PFAS pesticide active ingredients on 30% of nonorganic fruits and vegetables sold in the United States. "PFAS pose serious health risks to the public," he said, citing EPA findings that link PFAS exposure to higher cholesterol, reduced fertility, developmental harm and an increased risk of certain cancers.
Supermaniam said the most commonly detected PFAS pesticide in EWG’s review was fludioxinil. "Fludioxinil was found on 14% of all produce samples and on nearly 90% of peach and plum samples," he said. He described multiple contamination pathways into food: PFAS in food packaging, PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge used as fertilizer, contaminated irrigation water, and pesticides that contain PFAS or are stored in…
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