Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Could Be Accumulating From Atmosphere and Rainwater to Exceed EPA Safety Standards
UMD graduate assistant Fatemeh Ghezelsofla (left) and high school senior intern Tanvi Modugula collect water samples on an organic farm.
Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
University of Maryland researchers found so-called “forever chemicals” in groundwater and irrigation water at two organic farms in Maryland.
The study detected low concentrations of multiple per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances, which do not break down in the environment, even though the farms used no biosolids such as manure and no pesticides that contained the chemicals. There were also no known industrial sources of PFAS in the surrounding areas.
The research, published last month in the journal Toxics, suggests that different types of PFAS compounds can accumulate from the atmosphere and rainwater until the combined effect exceeds U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safety standards. The agency says PFAS exposure could contribute to cancer, decreased fertility, impaired immune function and other human harms.
“Understanding the impact of PFAS's presence in organic agricultural settings is critical to stakeholders and policymakers as it drives decision making, particularly decisions as to how we manage the presence of PFAS in edible crops,” said Candice Duncan, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology and lead author of the paper. “There is still much to learn about how PFAS accumulates in edible crops and moves up the food chain.”
