PFAS, the toxic “forever chemicals” linked to cancer and other serious health problems, were found in every produce sample tested in a new study of vegetables purchased from Long Island farms, alarming researchers and environmental advocates who say the findings point to a broader contamination problem in soil, water and food.
“This is not a farming problem. This is a societal problem,” Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, said during a Zoom presentation on the study Thursday. “We are not blaming the farmers.”
Esposito stressed throughout the presentation that farmers did not cause the contamination and cannot solve it through changes in farming practices.
The study tested 23 samples of carrots, romaine lettuce, Boston lettuce and beets purchased in summer 2025 from eight farms on the North and South forks. Two of the farms were organic and six conventional. Researchers said all samples contained detectable levels of PFAS, a large class of synthetic chemicals used for decades in products designed to resist water, grease and stains.
PFAS — short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are often called “forever chemicals” because they do not readily break down in the environment. Kyla Bennett, science policy director for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, said the chemicals share an extremely strong carbon-fluorine bond that makes them highly persistent, allowing them to accumulate in the environment and in the human body.
Bennett said PFAS have been used for decades in nonstick pans, carpets, waterproof clothing, food packaging and many other everyday products. As a result, the chemicals have moved into wastewater, septic systems, soil and water — and ultimately into the food chain.
She said studies have linked certain PFAS to kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, elevated cholesterol, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, pregnancy loss, preeclampsia and developmental effects in children. High PFAS levels in the blood may also weaken vaccine response, she said.
Researchers said carrots showed the highest concentrations among the produce tested. Kevin Schaefer, a senior research support specialist at Stony Brook University’s Center for Clean Water Technology, said “PFOS and GenX in carrots was considerably higher than we saw in any of the other vegetables.”
He said all four compounds the team highlighted in carrots exceeded EPA daily reference-dose levels. In lettuce, three compounds exceeded those levels. In beets, three did as well, though overall concentrations were generally lower than in carrots.
Researchers said the produce was collected using PFAS-free gloves and containers and delivered the same day to a Stony Brook laboratory, where it was frozen, processed and analyzed.
Source: RiverheadLOCAL
