EWG testimony to the California Senate Committee on Agriculture on AB1603 to increase the transparency and reporting of PFAS pesticides usage

EWG testimony to the California Senate Committee on Agriculture on AB1603 to increase the transparency and reporting of PFAS pesticides usage rcoleman July 9, 2026 Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is David Andrews and I am the Chief Science Officer for the Environmental Working Group. I hold a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Northwestern University and have been a co-author on ten peer-reviewed publications on PFAS, including a paper on PFAS pesticides. PFAS—or "forever chemicals"—pose serious health risks, including cancer, reproductive problems, harm to the thyroid and immune system, liver and kidney disease and more. 2.5 million pounds of PFAS pesticides are used each year in California. 40% of non-organic produce grown in California had at least one PFAS pesticide, some with many. PFAS pesticides are widespread in water and soil in California. PFAS should be regulated as a class - we do not want one problematic chemical substituted for another. California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control has stated that all PFAS share the core hazard trait of extreme environmental persistence. PFAS pesticides fall into a regulatory blind spot. The US EPA’s and the California Department of Pesticide Regulations’ current have been inadequate with respect to immune system harm, or the cumulative impacts of the very small PFAS. TFA, or trifluoroacetic acid, is one of the small PFAS contaminants that result from PFAS pesticide usage and levels are increasing in our water, food and environment. North Carolina ground water testing found TFA in nearly all of their samples, and it is estimated that PFAS pesticide use in California creates up to 600,000 pounds of TFA. Earlier this month, ECHA's scientific committee concluded TFA should be classified as toxic to reproduction, and also very persistent and very mobile. With the increasing evidence of harm from PFAS we are disappointed that the legislature is not acting more decisively on PFAS pesticides but we support this step to catalogue usage. Thank you. Areas of Focus Toxic Chemicals Pesticides PFAS Chemicals Authors David Andrews, Ph.D. June 30, 2026