EPA Greenlights Forever Chemical Pesticides Despite Health Risks

The agency finalized the approval of diflufenican and epyrifenacil for use on the nation's most widely grown crops. It also expanded the allowance for bifenthrin and authorized the first food application of chlormequat, a chemical linked to reproductive health issues. The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) noted that this marks the third and fourth PFAS pesticide approvals under the current administration, contrasting sharply with the single approval recorded during the previous four-year term.

Controversy centers on how the agency classifies these substances. While the EPA claims these products are not PFAS, this designation relies on a unilateral, internal definition. Independent researchers and nearly every U.S. state utilize a broader scientific standard that classifies these substances as forever chemicals. Internal documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act suggest that the agency actively scrubbed references to this broader definition from its website following internal reviews by agency leadership, including Administrator Lee Zeldin.

Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the CBD, labeled the expansion a national outrage. The decision arrives in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling favoring Monsanto, which effectively limits the ability of citizens to sue over health impacts related to products like Roundup. With the administration previously issuing an executive order to mandate the production of glyphosate, critics argue that the EPA is systematically dismantling protections to serve the interests of agricultural lobbies and chemical manufacturers.