[Perspective] The Far Reach of PFAS-Inert Ingredients and Adjuvants in Pesticide Formulations
By Neha Sehgal, Dana Boyd Barr, and Stephanie M Eick
Environ Health Perspect
July 24, 2024
DOI: 10.1289/EHP15445
Environmental contamination of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has been a growing concern over the last few decades because of their potential adverse human health effects and their biological persistence.1,2 Many “hot spots” of exposure have been identified, such as the Ohio Valley area of West Virginia3,4 and the Cape Fear Region of North Carolina.5 Studies on background exposures not related to hot spots of environmental contamination have burgeoned over the last few years.1 These studies have evaluated exposures over the life course and potential health outcomes ranging from intrauterine growth and birth outcomes to immunologic effects and cancers.1
More recent studies have focused on identifying important pathways of environmental exposures.6 To date, the primary pathway of human exposure is believed to be dietary ingestion of contaminated food and water, with smaller contributions from sources such as household dust (likely resulting from the use of PFAS in stain-resistant textiles and industrial applications) and the use of PFAS-contaminated consumer products.6 In a commentary in this issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, Donley et al.7 discuss another potentially significant pathway of exposure to PFAS: the use of pesticides in both agriculture and residential applications. They discuss how fluorination techniques are used to enhance the desirable properties of active ingredients in pesticide formulations. In addition, through their review of pesticide information obtained from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency, the US Geological Survey, and publicly available databases, they have uncovered the use of PFAS as inert ingredients and as adjuvants used to control dispersion properties. Despite the likely presence of PFAS in pesticide formulations and their potential adverse impacts, they have not been considered in pesticide regulatory efforts or in toxicologic evaluations of pesticides.
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