Overview
- Recent government testing and peer‑reviewed analyses show PFAS are common in California surface water, sediment and nonorganic fruits and vegetables, raising fresh concerns about food and water contamination.
- A peer‑reviewed study found PFAS now account for about 14% of conventional pesticide active ingredients and about 30% of approvals in the last decade, signaling rapid growth in their use.
- Federal and state agencies have continued to approve or propose PFAS pesticides, and California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation recently reapproved the insecticide sulfoxaflor despite earlier court rulings over its harm to pollinators.
- Assembly Bill 1603 would require disclosure of PFAS in products, prohibit new PFAS pesticide approvals, and phase out existing PFAS pesticides over time, and the measure is pending a full Assembly vote.
- If enacted, the law could reduce PFAS on crops that supply much of the U.S. fruit and vegetable market, cut sources of drinking‑water contamination, and force changes in how regulators and industry define and approve PFAS‑containing chemicals.