The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with approvals for pesticides containing “forever chemicals” as an active ingredient, dismissing concerns about health and environmental impacts raised by some scientists and activists.

This month, the agency approved two new pesticides that meet the internationally recognized definition for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS or fluorinated substances, and has announced plans for four additional approvals. The authorized pesticides, cyclobutrifluram and isocycloseram, which was approved Thursday, will be used on vegetables such as romaine lettuce, broccoli and potatoes.

Archive: https://archive.ph/AapVs

  • Fedizen@lemmy.world
    41·
    5 hours ago

    You can’t filter out PFAS from the food chain.

    Agricultural runoff gets into water supplies. In water supplies it gets used for irrigation, drinking water for animals, or goes out to sea.

    In each case forever chemicals will just build up.

    So even like that wagyu beef or wild caught fish eventually is just poisoning you.

    Plus PFAS are notorious for being difficult to filter and when they do break down they break down into smaller halomethanes/haloalkanes which are also typically toxic and even harder to filter conventionally. The main way to eliminate halomethanes is to bubble water to evaporate them into the air. A slow process which will make the contaminants airborne.

    Of course what does it matter if you get a new beach house courtesy of Bayer or Monsanto

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
      11·
      4 hours ago

      Even if it’s 100% true, you’re being unnecessarily negative. It’s not a binary question, but “more” or “less”. There is definitely value in wayvpcho g the sources of your food

      • Fedizen@lemmy.world
        3·
        4 hours ago

        Nobody said “don’t watch what you eat” so don’t bullshit yourself about what’s being said here.

        I’ve worked on PFAS filtration system designs that the US military funded for cities near airbases. Firefighting PFAS materials made their way into a lot of well water systems and municipal systems sometimes very far way. Its very difficult to reliably remove them from water.

        These materials are hard to control once they’re out in the wild.

        • AA5B@lemmy.world
          1·
          2 hours ago

          These materials are hard to control once they’re out in the wild.

          Extremely, and that’s my bottom line to someone who claims some chemical in the hugeclass that makes up PFAShasn’t been proven harmful yet. Can we afford until it is unavoidably ubiquitous in the environment, can’t be cleaned up, and will last indefinitely? And it may already be

          But I’ll also stand by: protected watershed makes a difference, filtered water makes a difference, organic food makes a difference. We’re already at the point of these chemicals being unavoidable in the environment, but we can take actions to reduce our personal exposure

          • Fedizen@lemmy.world
            1·
            1 hour ago

            But I’ll also stand by: protected watershed makes a difference, filtered water makes a difference, organic food makes a difference. We’re already at the point of these chemicals being unavoidable in the environment, but we can take actions to reduce our personal exposure

            Sure but its expensive and only certain sources are controllable. Do what you can to avoid it and especially do what you can to avoid helping these companies profit off this because that will ensure less of these chemicals get made in the long term.

            I do sometimes think part of the problem that the people who are now in control of the FDA are the same people that made millions selling people home water filtration kits because government water was scawy (Alex Jones for instance used to sell water filtration kits and now his politicians are making them more necessary)