FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Contact:
Kyla Bennett (508) 230-9933 [email protected]
Get Forever Chemicals Out of Our Food Chain
MAHA Commission Pressed to Take Concrete Action on Toxic PFAS
Washington, DC — To accomplish its mission, the recently created Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission must stem human exposure to toxic “forever chemicals” in our foods, according to a petition from public health groups led by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are called “forever chemicals” since they do not readily break down in the environment and bioaccumulate within us.
Human exposure to PFAS is associated with cancer, birth defects, and impaired functioning of the liver, kidneys, and immune system, among other adverse effects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that there is no safe level of exposure for PFOA and PFOS, two legacy PFAS, in drinking water at any concentration above zero.
Besides drinking water, PFAS are ingested from contaminated foods. The petition highlights three human exposure pathways it asks the MAHA Commission to address:
- Biosolid fertilizers made from sewage sludge contain high levels of PFAS. Nearly 20% of U.S. agricultural land is estimated to use sludge-based fertilizers and as many as 70 million acres of farmland may be contaminated. PFAS from the sewage sludge are taken up by plants, and accumulate in fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy.
- The fluorination process used by a large manufacturer of plastic containers creates PFAS in their linings which leach into their contents, including into edible oils and flavorings. An estimated 200 million containers a year are made this way.
- Pesticides containing PFAS are used throughout the country on staple foods such as corn, wheat, kale, spinach, apples and strawberries. They are also widely used in people’s homes in flea and tick treatments for pets and insect-killing sprays.
“We cannot make America healthy again if our foods are poisoned with toxic PFAS,” stated PEER Science Policy Director Kyla Bennett, a scientist and attorney formerly with EPA. “These pathways of exposure are the products of regulatory negligence and can be quickly closed, provided that we have the political will.”
The mission of the MAHA Commission is to address rising levels of chronic diseases and declining life expectancies among a host of other maladies. The Commission consists of the leaders of 13 federal agencies. It is chaired by Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and includes EPA, Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, as well as senior White House officials.
PEER has been waging legal and advocacy campaigns against these three commercial channels for PFAS contamination. The petition is meant to help make these issues a national priority.
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Look at PFAS risk from biosludge fertilizer
See plastic container PFAS contamination
Examine problem of PFAS-laden pesticides
PEER protects public employees who protect our environment. We are a service organization for environmental and public health professionals, land managers, scientists, enforcement officers and other civil servants dedicated to upholding environmental laws and values. We work with current and former federal, state, local and tribal employees.
