Perennial pollutants increasingly used in pesticides in US, study says

The results of this study are “absolutely frightening news, because pesticides are among the most widely distributed pollutants in the world,” says Nathan Donley, co-author of the study.

“The more you look for them, the more you find.”sighs Alexis Temkin, a toxicologist with the Environmental Working Group, to AFP. PFAS, commonly called “eternal pollutants,” are increasingly used in pesticides in the United States, denounces a study published Wednesday, July 24 in the journal Environmental Health Perspective.

Virtually indestructible, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, accumulate over time and eventually end up in the human body. High exposure to these PFAS can weaken the immune system, reduce fertility or disrupt the hormonal cycle, according to scientists, even if knowledge about these substances remains to be completed.

Regulators have gradually limited or banned their use in a wide range of objects and products. Agricultural inputs used directly, for example on fruits and vegetables, are not affected in the United States.

For the study, the researchers compiled data not only on the active ingredients in pesticides, but also on the substances, sometimes called “inert,” that accompany them, including adjuvants, which improve their effectiveness in the field. According to their results, 14% of all ingredients counted as active ingredients in pesticides in the United States are PFAS, including nearly a third of the active ingredients authorized in the last ten years.

The results of this study constitute ““This is absolutely frightening news, as pesticides are among the most widely distributed pollutants in the world.”analyzes Nathan Donley, co-author of the study. “Mixing pesticides with eternal pollutants is like adding an additional burden to the next generation, with more chronic diseases and cleaning made impossible,” he adds.