Michigan has more than 240 confirmed PFAS contamination sites, among the highest in the nation.
PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” do not break down and can build up in the body. Now, conservation groups from around the country are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over its approval of a new PFAS-based pesticide for use on major food crops, lawns and golf courses.
Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, called the decision alarming.
"It was incredibly scary to see that we were approving a pesticide that is essentially never going to break down for use on pretty much every single crop you can think of," Donley stressed.
Supporters of the EPA’s decision said the agency followed federal law and based its approval on scientific risk assessments. They argued the pesticide is needed to protect crops and maintain food production, and restrictions and application limits are in place to minimize harm to people and the environment.
The lawsuit raised questions about whether federal chemical approvals are driven more by industry influence than by public health and environmental protection. Donley pointed to who is making those decisions.
"Right now, the top four people in the chemicals office, all political appointees, are former lobbyists from groups that advocated for increased use of chemicals and pesticides in the past," Donley noted.
EPA studies on how the pesticide affects lab animals found it reduced testicle size, lowered sperm count and caused liver damage, also posing a cancer risk. Australian regulators linked it to birth defects in fetal rats, though the EPA disputes the finding.
