AFP: Trump EPA approved five pesticides many scientists class as PFAS

An AFP report carried on phys.org says the Trump administration has approved five pesticides that many scientists treat as PFAS forever chemicals, while the Environmental Protection Agency uses a narrower definition that excludes the new herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides and says they pose no threat to human health. The last three approvals lacked press statements and surfaced when nonprofits publicized them. Critics note many such chemicals can break down into trifluoroacetic acid, now common in drinking water and flagged in European assessments. AFP reports one new herbicide, Trifludimoxazin, has suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential in the EPA's own review, and a 2024 retrospective found 66 past pesticide ingredients would meet the broad OECD PFAS definition. The agency under Biden in 2023 limited its PFAS definition to molecules with two or more adjacent fully fluorinated carbons; one pesticide was approved under that approach and five more under Trump. FOIA material cited by the Center for Biological Diversity's Nathan Donley said senior EPA officials and Administrator Lee Zeldin coordinated webpage edits that removed acknowledgment of the wider definition on the same day CropLife America cited the revised page.