Watchdog Group Accuses EPA of Misconduct in Testing Pesticides for PFAS

According to allegations by a former research fellow for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), the EPA’s own documents indicate that false information may have been presented to the public regarding the agency’s testing of harmful contaminants in pesticides.

In May 2023, the EPA issued a press release stating that it had found no per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “forever chemicals” in samples of particular insecticides, reported The Guardian. However, the press release contradicted a former study by an EPA researcher that had found PFAS in the cited pesticide products.

“It’s pretty outrageous,” said Kyla Bennett, director of scientific policy at PEER. “You don’t get to just ignore the stuff that doesn’t support your hypothesis. That is not science. That is corruption. I can only think that they were getting pressure from pesticide companies.”

The allegations by PEER, which is led by former employees of the EPA, were made on Tuesday.

Bennett said PEER obtained the contradictory pesticide testing data after a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

The opportunity to comment was declined by the EPA. The agency said “because these issues relate to a pending formal complaint process, EPA has no further information to provide.”