Protect Families From Toxic Chemicals Now Infiltrating Our Drinking Water
Final signature count: 415
415 signatures toward our 30,000 goal
Sponsor: The Rainforest Site
Toxic PFAS pesticides are entering our soil and drinking water, threatening families, wildlife, and future generations unless we act now to stop the EPA from allowing these dangerous chemicals into our environment.
The Environmental Protection Agency has approved two new pesticides that contain PFAS, chemicals known for extreme persistence in soil and water1. These approvals open the door for their use across crop fields, neighborhoods, golf courses, and commercial properties. They also come as the agency signals plans to authorize several more PFAS-based pesticides in the coming year1.
PFAS exposure has been linked to cancers, immune suppression, developmental delays in children, and reproductive harm1. These compounds resist breakdown for decades. Once released, they accumulate in groundwater, drinking supplies, wildlife, and the human body.
Scientists warn that PFAS in pesticides creates a new and dangerous path for contamination. Nathan Donley of the Center for Biological Diversity described his reaction as “shock and awe,” noting that whatever enters the environment today “will be lurking around forever”2.
A New Wave of Forever Pesticides
The newly approved compounds—cyclobutrifluram and isocycloseram—meet international definitions of PFAS and are poised for widespread agricultural use1. Isocycloseram is expected on major food crops, where it breaks down into 40 additional PFAS chemicals, some more persistent than the original formulation3.
Despite this, the EPA insists the pesticide poses no risk to human health or endangered species “when used as directed”4. Critics argue that PFAS mobility through soil and groundwater defies traditional review standards. Donley emphasizes that these “new forever pesticides” do not behave like conventional chemicals2.
Pollinators and Wildlife at Risk
EPA documents show that bees could encounter more than 1,500 times the lethal dose while foraging near treated crops3. With one-third of the world’s food supply depending on pollinators, such losses pose immediate threats to agriculture and ecosystems.
Spray applications also harm aquatic life, birds, and mammals feeding on treated plants4. Scientists warn that environmental persistence—not short-term toxicity—presents the greatest long-term danger1.
PFAS Already Contaminate U.S. Water Systems
Communities nationwide face rising PFAS levels in drinking water. Louisville, Kentucky detected a surge in GenX that required extensive investigation and highlighted the fragility of source-water protections5. Water-quality officials warn that rising contamination makes compliance with federal limits increasingly difficult.
Meanwhile, EPA delays in enforcement allow utilities until 2031 to fully meet new PFAS standards, prolonging exposure risks5. Other agency moves—including relaxing discharge rules and reporting requirements—shift policy toward industry priorities1.
Protect Our Water. Protect Our Health.
These approvals deepen PFAS contamination at the very moment communities are fighting to control the pollution already in their drinking water. Allowing more PFAS pesticides onto the market threatens public health, wildlife, food security, and future generations.
We cannot afford decades more of chemical buildup in the water our families depend on. The EPA must reverse course.
Sign the petition now to demand an immediate ban on all PFAS-containing pesticides.
