The Trump administration has officially moved forward with the approval of a new pesticide that includes a PFAS or “forever chemical” as one of its active ingredients, as per The Guardian. This is a genuinely concerning development, especially since these compounds are notoriously difficult to remove from the environment and human bodies once they’re introduced.
This new product contains the chemical isocycloseram. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed in a statement that this pesticide isn’t just destined for farm use, either. It’s slated for application on major agricultural crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat, which are staples of the American diet.
Beyond those crops, you can expect to see it used on turf and ornamental plants, along with various indoor and outdoor sites for commercial, industrial, and even domestic applications. Essentially, this stuff is going to be everywhere, from your local golf course to the fields that grow your bread.
Food safety and public health in the U.S. seem like things of the past
This approval is raising serious red flags because of what PFAS chemicals actually are. They’re called “forever chemicals” for a reason; they resist breaking down in nature and they accumulate in the body over time. We already have solid evidence about the serious health risks these compounds pose.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has linked PFAS exposure to some truly awful outcomes. These include a higher risk of specific cancers, like kidney and testicular cancer, along with high cholesterol, low birthweight in infants, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Introducing a new source of these compounds directly into our food supply and environment feels like a massive step backward for public health.
What makes this move particularly confusing is the contradiction within the administration’s own stated health goals. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), previously centered his agenda on restricting these very types of chemicals. His whole platform was built around the promise to “Make America Healthy Again,” but he has been historically averse to listening to actual medical experts.
Before taking his current role, Kennedy promised to seriously review the standards for chemicals and pesticides in an effort to impose more stringent restrictions. He even pointed out that the U.S. was far behind other developed nations, citing a 2019 study that showed numerous chemicals approved for use here were already banned in the European Union.
This isn’t an isolated incident, either. This new isocycloseram product marks the fifth PFAS pesticide ingredient that the EPA has proposed for approval thus far during President Trump’s second term. That frequency suggests a pattern that activists find alarming.
The food safety situation isn’t looking too bright as it is, with aluminum specks found inside biscuit doughs. It’s going to be a tough fight to restrict the use of these kinds of chemicals once they’re already approved and being distributed across the country.
Published: Nov 26, 2025 07:00 pm