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Farmland in Iowa

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California farmers sprayed over 14 MILLION lbs. of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals” on crops between 2018 and 2023, and now about 40% of non-organic California-grown produce is contaminated, according to special reports prepared by the Environmental Working Group. Was this PFAS pesticide contamination sprayed by you? Which fruits and vegetables were most likely to be contaminated with PFAS, and what should your family do? You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like safest cooking oils tested for phthalates, safest toilet paper tested for PFAS “forever chemicals,” and best red light therapy devices, now join us as we bring you two recent studies by EWG about PFAS “forever chemicals” in our food.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.  

Farmland in the heartland

EWG Finds 14 Million lbs. of PFAS “Forever Chemicals” Sprayed on Non-Organic Farmland in California

California produce has a PFAS “forever chemical” problem. Researchers at The Environmental Working Group (EWG) combed through official data from California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation to ascertain how many millions of pounds of pesticides were sprayed on crops in California. After studying all the pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, which are widely used in the state’s most productive farmland, they were able to create an interactive map.

If you live in the State of California, you are now able to click on this map and find out how many lbs. of PFAS were used in your county and what type of crop it was sprayed on. You’ll notice right away that PFAS were used in all 58 counties, with up to 2.5 million lbs. per year, exposing millions of Californians to hazardous chemicals that will never break down in the environment.

Not only does the State of California permit the use of PFAS in pesticides, but this widespread use has contaminated produce, soil, and drinking water, exposing millions to potential health risks. Two of these pesticides, bifenthrin and trifluralin, have already been banned in the European Union due to health and environmental concerns. Yet they remain in widespread use on California farmland. When you consider that California produces half the produce nationwide, you realize that what happens in California does NOT stay in California. This is, in fact, a nationwide problem.

Crops with the highest amounts of PFAS sprayed:

  1. Almonds – 4,176,442 lbs
  2. Pistachios – 1,396,225 lbs
  3. Structural pest control – 1,094,680 lbs
  4. Grapes, Wine – 951,269 lbs
  5. Alfalfa – 933,971 lbs

Woman standing on the farm

EWG Finds About 40% of California’s Non-Organic Produce Contains PFAS “Forever Chemicals”

EWG then reviewed data from the California Pesticide Residue Monitoring Report to find which produce was most affected by PFAS contamination according to California’s own testing. They found that almost 40% of non-organic fruits and vegetables grown in California were contaminated with PFAS.

In 2023, the state collected over 900 samples of 78 different types of conventional produce, and this subset was the basis for EWG’s analysis. Of the 78 produce categories, 40 types of fruits and vegetables contained PFAS residues. Now, not only can you find out how many lbs. of PFAS were sprayed, but you can learn how much of it had staying power when purchased by consumers. Here were some main findings:

  • What’s Being Delivered to Your Grocery Store: 37% of non-organic samples tested by the State of California had traces of PFAS pesticides.
  • Category by Category: 51% of the 78 produce categories were contaminated with traces of PFAS
  • Stone Fruits. Peaches, nectarines, and plums showed the highest contamination rates, with nine out of 10 samples testing positive for PFAS pesticides
  • Strawberries. Contained 10 individual PFAS pesticides, more variety than any other crop
  • Grapes and Cherries. Showed lower individual PFAS pesticide detection rates, but are contaminated with several PFAS pesticides
  • Other Affected Crops: includes spinach, blueberries, lettuce, lemons, and other popular produce items
  • Crops Not Sprayed with PFAS: Sweet potatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, sweet corn, avocados, and summer and winter squash.
  • EU Banned Pesticides: Of the 53 PFAS pesticides approved for use in California, the European Union doesn’t allow 23.

Farmer holding tomatoes on the farm

Potential Health Impacts & Why You Should Care Even if You Don’t Live in California

California produces the vast majority of “specialty crops” in the United States. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, especially those you would put in a salad, like spinach, romaine, tomatoes, bell peppers, almonds, pistachios, celery, strawberries, oranges, etc. These crops are trucked to grocery stores all over the country and become part of your meal.

PFAS are problematic to human health and the environment. They are considered ubiquitous, persistent, and toxic. Therefore, it’s imperative to reduce the amount of PFAS you are exposed to from food and water and personal care products. Here are the main health impacts of exposure to PFAS:

Farmer standing in the field with tomatoes in a box

Simple Actions To Lessen the Impact of PFAS Today

PFAS is considered ubiquitous; however, there are many ways you can reduce your exposure through simple changes and product choices. You cannot completely eliminate your exposure to PFAS, but here are some tips to lessen their impact in your home.

Clean Up Your Indoor Air

PFAS is so common in our environment that it’s been found in dust inside our indoor air. So the average person is breathing PFAS into their lungs based on how much dust is inside the home. PFAS are attracted to dust and attach to it, along with many other hormone-disrupting chemicals like phthalates and fire retardants. PFAS sources include everyday products and materials inside and outside your home. The best way to tackle this issue is with three steps:

  1. Get a good air purifier and leave it on all day. But also make sure to open your windows every day and air out your home.
  2. Dust your home once a week. Start at the top of the room with fans and finish with flooring. Removing dust means you’ll have less to breathe in daily.
  3. Wash your hands before you eat. You’ve been touching dust on surfaces all day long.

Our Mamavation Air Purifier Recommendations

Filter your Water

We do not know how much PFAS you are exposed to in your water because most PFAS cannot be identified by testing. This is the most horrible truth. Most districts are testing for a very limited number of PFAS chemicals. However, there are over 15,000 chemicals in commerce, so it’s very likely some chemicals are being missed in testing. So we recommend filtering your water as if they have already found PFAS, because chances are, that’s true.

These two units have been independently tested to handle the greatest amount of specific PFAS chemicals. While many brands claim to filter PFAS, these companies were independently tested in highly polluted areas and successfully removed numerous specific PFAS. Both companies offer very good under-the-sink and counter versions of their products. Clearly Filtered also offers a very good refrigerator filter.

Farmer giving hay to his cows

Eat As Much Organic Produce As You Can As Close to “Scratch” as You Can

When it comes to food, the best thing you can do is purchase organic and cook from scratch. This is not always possible for modern families, so doing it as often as you can is the main goal. Mamavation has taken the role of testing the supply chain for PFAS or indications of PFAS for many years to help you with that goal. Here are some of our recent investigations into specific categories of food, beverages, & supplements

Opt for Organic Wine — We tested Frey Vineyards

The EWG called out grapes and vineyards in their study as a category of crops that have high PFAS pesticide use, so we recommend opting for organic wine (only if you are drinking) as a way to lessen your impact of PFAS. We have already tested Frey Vineyards for glyphosate, and they are a USDA organic vineyard in Northern California.

Eat Organic, Grassfed & Pastured Meats

Unfortunately, alfalfa was also identified as a crop with high PFAS pesticide use in California. Alfalfa is used as animal feed for many animals like cows, pigs, sheep, etc. Alfalfa can also be genetically modified and sprayed with Roundup Ready herbicide. We would recommend sticking to USDA organic and grassfed meats where you know the farmers don’t spray pesticides on their land. We have tested two different meat-producing ranch operations for phthalates in beef suet. We have not tested them for PFAS, but already know they don’t use pesticides on their land. Your other options would be to sticking to organic beef, pork, lamb, chicken, etc., to avoid fluorinated pesticide contamination in your food as often as you can.

  • Parker Pastures — Non-detect beef suet for phthalates (Get $25 off your first order of $150 or more by using discount code “LEAH”)
  • White Oak Pastures — Non-detect beef suet for phthalates (Get $20 off any order over $150. One use per customer. Use “MAMAVATION” at checkout or click on link for it to be automatically applied.) 

Father and son on the farm looking at their cows

Swap Out Your Non-Stick Cookware

Non-stick cookware is mostly made from a type of PFAS chemical called Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), aka “Teflon.” We highly recommend sticking to stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel, glass, and non-coated ceramic.

Stainless Steel Cookware Recommendations

Best 304 Stainless Steel (with Nickel)
Best 430 Stainless Steel (without Nickel)

This cookware is a lower-quality stainless steel and should only be purchased by people with allergies or sensitivities to nickel. But if you have a sensitivity to nickel, this is your list.

Cast Iron Cookware Recommendations

Ceramic Cookware Recommendations

Most “ceramic” cookware is actually made from nanoparticles. This brand does not expose you to nanoparticles and has been cleared via Prop.65 in California for safe heavy metal exposure too.

Carbon Steel Cookware Recommendations

Bakeware Recommendations

Swap Out Your Other Small Kitchen Appliances

Mamavation has conducted numerous studies on small kitchen appliances and has reached out to these brands to find out what materials they use. Each one of these investigations will help you avoid PFAS.

Farmer on a beet farm

Swap Out Your Makeup & Other Personal Care Products

We have conducted many investigations to help you avoid PFAS. For some of these investigations, we have done testing, while for others, we have done an ingredient review to help you avoid problematic chemicals.

Feminine Care

We’ve tested these feminine care products for indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” to help you clean up the feminine care products you use.

Food Packaging

We’ve tested these food packaging categories for indications of PFAS “forever chemicals” to help you clean up your home.

Farmer in apple orchard

Clothing & Activewear

Clothing we have tested for indications of PFAS “forever chemicals.”

Stain Resistant Carpet & Upholstery

Older carpets and upholstery would typically contain PFAS. As you remodel your home, ask about PFAS free carpet and flooring. We have not done testing of carpets, but we have done testing of furniture swatches for you here.

Mattresses

Here are our highest-rated organic mattresses that do not contain PFAS.

  • Happsy—  (Use discount code “MAMAVATION10” for 10% off your total purchase. While supplies last. Cannot be used with other promo codes. Cannot be applied to past purchases. Valid one time per customer. Other restrictions may apply.)
  • Lifekind
  • Naturepedic— (Use discount code “MAMAVATION15” for 15% off your total purchase. While supplies last. Cannot be used with other promo codes. Cannot be applied to past purchases. Valid one time per customer. Other restrictions may apply.)
  • Obasan— (Use discount code “MAMAVATIONBED” for two free complimentary pillows of your choice when you purchase an adult mattress. Make sure they are in your cart. )
  • Organic Mattress Incorporated (OMI)
  • Savvy Rest

Rugs

These rug brands do not use chemicals that intentionally expose you to PFAS. However, please note that we have not been able to test any of them.

  • CICIL Home (Sign up for their newsletter and get 10% off your order!) 
  • Loomy
  • Lorena Canals Rugs (Use discount code “MAMAVATIONXLC10″ for 10% off products!)
  • Oh! Happy Home (Goodweave Certified) (Use discount code “MAMAVATION” for 10% off products!)
  • Organic & Healthy
  • *Organic Weave (GOTS Organic) (Use discount code “MAMAVATION” for 10% off products!) 
  • Rawganique 
  • Rugs by Roo (Goodweave Certified) (Use discount code “MAMAVATION15” for 15% off products!) 
  • Safavieh (natural selections, not all selections)(OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Certified)
  • Sage & Wild (GOTS Organic)(Use discount code “MAMAVATION” for 10% off products!) 
  • The Citizenry

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