What You Need to Know About PFAS and Pesticides in California
California has extensive, science-based processes in place to evaluate pesticides before they are allowed for use. This includes looking at the potential for human health and environmental impacts that are often part of broader PFAS discussions, such as how long a pesticide lasts in the environment. DPR also collects produce samples – including fruits and vegetables grown or sold in the state – to make sure the produce that you eat is safe.
California’s Rigorous Pesticide Registration Process to Protect People and the Environment
The term PFAS can refer to a variety of chemical structures depending on the definition used, and there are currently multiple definitions. The U.S. EPA’s 2023 definition of PFAS means at least two adjacent fully fluorinated carbon atoms. Broader definitions of PFAS include any chemical with a single fully fluorinated carbon, encompassing more than 15,000 substances present in a variety of items.
Pesticides have strict regulatory oversight requirements on a federal and state level that require products be evaluated on a chemical level before they can be sold or used. DPR conducts a thorough scientific evaluation of both the active ingredients and full product formulations. This review includes assessing toxicity, environmental fate (including how long chemicals persist and how they break down), potential impacts on human health – including immune, reproductive, and developmental effects – and potential environmental impacts.
This process applies to all pesticides, including those containing compounds that fall under broad definitions of PFAS. Persistence among PFAS chemicals can vary widely – from a few days to hundreds of years, depending on the specific compound – so DPR evaluates each chemical individually to evaluate the impact of that chemical on human health and the environment.
DPR’s scientific review is independent from and in addition to U.S. EPA’s federal evaluation and is tailored to California’s unique environmental conditions. As part of U.S. EPA’s evaluation, the federal agency sets “tolerance levels” for the presence of pesticides on food – including produce. Tolerance levels are the thresholds that define if a detection has the potential to impact human health.
California’s Testing of Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables to Make Sure Produce is Safe to Eat
DPR conducts one of the nation’s most comprehensive produce residue monitoring programs, collecting and testing thousands of domestic and imported fruits and vegetables each year – including those that may be categorized as PFAS under broader definitions. The produce is tested for hundreds of pesticides to see if there are detections of any pesticide and, if so, if those detections are above or below U.S. EPA tolerance levels.
A detection alone does not indicate a health concern. Tolerance levels represent the scientifically established threshold for safety. California’s residue monitoring consistently shows very low levels of pesticide residues. In 2023, of the 1,059 produce samples labeled as “grown in California,” 99% had residues below U.S. EPA tolerance levels. Across all samples tested – including organic and conventionally grown produce – more than 97% of fruits and vegetables sold in California contained no detectable pesticide residues or residues below federal safety standards.
When DPR identifies produce containing residues above tolerance or without an established tolerance, the produce is pulled from the market or shelves. DPR scientists conduct a specific investigation to understand the source of the produce and to address violations of pesticide use laws and regulations with enforcement response.
DPR Is Committed to Protecting Human Health and The Environment and Continued Evaluation of New Information on Pesticide Risks and Impacts
DPR takes its mission very seriously and is constantly expanding its scientific expertise and data review to look at new and emerging information about pesticide risks and impacts. In California, the process of evaluating all pesticides before they can be used or sold and continuously evaluating pesticides to address new and emerging risks is a critical role for DPR.