Maine data unveils troubling trend: 55 PFAS-related chemicals in over 1,400 pesticides

WASHINGTON – More than 1,400 pesticides contain active ingredients that meet Maine’s definition for the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to a new analysis of data from the state by Environmental Working Group researchers. Maine is the first state to enact a comprehensive ban on pesticides that include intentionally added PFAS, and pesticides contaminated with PFAS. That ban goes into effect in 2030. The state compiled a working list of 55 active ingredients that meet its definition of PFAS, which is “any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.” Other governments use different definitions of PFAS, including those that would exclude some of the chemicals Maine has identified as PFAS. All pesticides used in Maine must be registered with the state's Board of Pesticides Control. The agency then submits this information to the National Pesticide Information Retrieval System, a database of registered pesticides administered by Purdue University. Using this database, EWG found that more than 1,400 pesticides registered in Maine use active ingredients that meet the state’s definition of PFAS. “We should not be spraying PFAS on our food or in our homes,” said EWG Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Scott Faber. None of the PFAS identified by EWG are among the PFAS recently removed from an EPA list of EPA-approved inert ingredients.   PFAS can be used as an active ingredient in pesticides because the fluorinated qualities of the chemicals make the pesticide more effective and stable. PFAS can also be used as an ingredient to extend shelf life and provide an even coating. The use of PFAS in containers was previously found to cause contamination of some pesticides, although more recent EPA testing released this week did not detect PFAS  “PFAS in pesticides can pose risks to agricultural workers and communities, downstream water users when pesticides are washed into the water supply, and people who use these products in their homes and gardens,” said EWG Stabile Law Fellow Lillian Zhou.

Pesticide active ingredient*	General uses	EPA Pesticide Chemical Code
Acifluorfen-sodium	Herbicide for crops,ornamentals, and rights-of-way	114402
Benfluralin	Herbicide for crops, ornamentals, and rights-of-way	084301
Bicyclopyrone	Herbicide for crops	018986
Bifenthrin	Insecticide for crops and household pests	128825
Broflanilide	Insecticide for crops and household pests	283200
Bromethalin	Rodenticide for crops, parks, and households	112802
Chlorfenapyr	Insecticide for crops and ornamentals	129093
Cyflufenamid	Fungicide for crops and ornamentals	555550
Cyflumetofen	Insecticide for crops and ornamentals	138831
gamma-Cyhalothrin	Insecticide for livestock and poultry housing and pet kennels	128807
lambda-Cyhalothrin	Insecticide for crops and ornamentals	128897
Dithiopyr	Herbicide for lawns and turf	128994
Ethalfluralin	Herbicide for crops	113101
Fipronil	Insecticide for household pest control, including pet flea/tick treatments, ornamentals, landscapes, and trails.	129121
Fluazifop-P-butyl	Herbicide for crops, ornamentals, and landscapes	122809
Fludioxonil	Fungicide for crops and ornamentals	071503
Fluensulfone	Nematicide for crops, ornamentals, and lawns	050410
Flufenacet	Herbicide for crops	121903
Fluopicolide	Fungicide for crops, ornamentals, and landscapes	027412
Fluopyram	Fungicide and nematicide for crops, ornamentals, and landscapes	080302
Fluridone	Herbicide for aquatic environments	112900
Flurprimidol	Plant growth regulator for ornamentals and landscapes	125701
Flutolanil	Fungicide for crops and ornamentals	128975
Fluvalinate	Insecticide for crops and ornamentals	109302
Fomesafen // Fomesafen-sodium	Herbicide for crops	123803 // 123802
Hexaflumuron	Termiticide	118202
Hydramethylnon	Insecticide for household pests	118401
Indoxacarb	Insecticide for crops and household use, including flea control on pets	067710
Lactofen	Herbicide for crops and ornamentals	128888
Mefentrifluconazole	Fungicide for crops, ornamentals, and turf	122000
Norflurazon	Herbicide for cranberries	105801
Novaluron	Insecticide for crops, animal agriculture settings, ornamentals, and landscapes	124002
Noviflumuron	Termiticide	118204
Oxathiapiprolin	Fungicide for crops	128111
Oxyfluorfen	Herbicide for crops and ornamentals	111601
Penoxsulam	Herbicide for crops, lawns, and aquatic settings	119031
Penthiopyrad	Fungicide for crops and turf	090112
Picoxystrobin	Fungicide for crops	129200
Prodiamine	Herbicide for ornamentals and landscapes	110201
Prosulfuron	Herbicide for cereal crops	129031
Pyrasulfotole	Herbicide for cereal crops	000692
Pyridalyl	Insecticide for crops and ornamentals	295149
Pyrifluquinazon	Insecticide for crops	555555
Pyroxasulfone	Herbicide for crops, non-crop areas, and fallow land	090099
Saflufenacil	Herbicide for crops, non-crop areas, and fallow land	118203
Tefluthrin	Insecticide for crops	128912
Tembotrione	Herbicide for corn	012801
Tetraconazole	Fungicide for crops and ornamentals	120603
Tetraniliprole	Insecticide for crops and landscapes	090097
Tiafenacil	Herbicide for crops and fallow land	012311
Tralopyril	Algaecide for antifouling paint on boat bottoms	119093
Trifloxystrobin	Fungicide for crops and ornamentals	129112
Triflumizole	Fungicide for crops and ornamentals	128879
Trifluralin	Herbicide for crops and ornamentals	036101
Triflusulfuron-methyl	Herbicide for sugar beets	129002

The pesticide products with intentionally added PFAS are used for weed and pest control on food crops and lawns, and to manage termites. They are also used to tackle aquatic vegetation in ponds, among other applications. PFAS are known as forever chemicals because they do not break down in our environment and they build up in our blood and organs. They are linked to a range of serious health harms. Very low doses of PFAS in drinking water have been linked to the suppression of the immune system and are associated with an elevated risk of cancer, increased cholesterol, and reproductive and developmental harms, among other serious health concerns. “Extensive research demonstrated that PFAS are harmful to human health even at minuscule concentrations,” said Olga V. Naidenko, Ph.D., EWG vice president for science investigations. “Scientific studies show the alarming ways PFAS wreak havoc on human health, wildlife, and the environment. The entire PFAS class of chemicals poses a significant health concern, and should be addressed in its entirety.”  In January 2022, scientists in Portugal found that from 2015 to 2020 almost 70 percent of the pesticides introduced by manufacturers used a formula made with fluorinated chemicals.  “Maine's proactive approach in addressing the risks of PFAS-containing pesticides should serve as an example for other states,” Zhou said. “Maine has taken a measured and thoughtful approach to address the prevalent problem of PFAS in pesticides,” said Heather Spalding, deputy director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. “The state is working hard to gather information about the extent of the problem and give pesticide manufacturers ample time to reformulate their products so farm families, farm workers and farmland are protected from further PFAS contamination. At this point, pesticide manufacturers need to answer two simple yes/no questions about whether they include PFAS in their product formulation and whether they store their products in fluorinated containers. The public has the right to know what they’re being exposed to and is demanding a reasonable phaseout of the forever chemicals.” "The report from EWG highlights just how ubiquitous PFAS is in all products", said Sarah Woodbury, Director of Advocacy for Defend Our Health, "these toxic chemicals have no place in our food and water and we are grateful that Maine is taking action to ban their use in all products, including pesticides."

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