The Trump administration's EPA has approved trifludimoxazin, a persistent pesticide containing "forever chemicals," for use on major U.S. crops including wheat, oats, oranges, apples and almonds. This marks the fifth PFAS pesticide approved under the current administration.
Forever chemicals, formally known as PFAS or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, resist breaking down in the environment and accumulate in human tissue over time. Scientists have linked exposure to these compounds to serious health effects including kidney disease, liver damage and immune system suppression.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin approved the pesticide late Tuesday. The timing drew sharp criticism from environmental groups, who noted the approval came after the Supreme Court granted pesticide manufacturers immunity from certain lawsuits. Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, called it "a special kind of callousness" to accelerate pesticide approvals once companies gained legal protection.
The EPA's pesticide approvals have accelerated dramatically under Trump's second term. Environmental advocates argue the administration is exploiting a narrow window before potential legal challenges become more difficult. The agency has faced mounting pressure from agricultural interests seeking approval for new chemical tools, even as public health experts warn about the persistence and bioaccumulation risks of PFAS compounds.
The pesticide will be used on high-value crops, raising concerns about food supply contamination. PFAS chemicals have already been detected in drinking water supplies across the United States and in the bloodstreams of most Americans. Regulators have struggled for years to manage these compounds because of their extreme persistence and the difficulty of removing them from water systems once contamination occurs.
The approval reflects a broader regulatory philosophy shift. The Trump administration has prioritized deregulation across environmental agencies, with the EPA under Zeldin signaling a more industry-friendly