The board\u2019s decision to rubber-stamp the EPA\u2019s approval of two new PFAS-laden pesticides is both surprising and disappointing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heather Spalding<\/strong> is the deputy director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n See the original op-ed published in the Portland Press Herald on February 19, 2026<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By now, most Mainers have heard of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), the ubiquitous \u201cforever chemicals\u201d that have contaminated dozens of farms statewide, polluted our drinking water and\u00a0put farmers out of business<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even for those who haven\u2019t heard of PFAS, they\u2019ve likely been affected by these forever chemicals \u2014 with PFAS pollution costing taxpayers over $100 million<\/strong><\/a> and found in high levels in the blood of farmers, their families and neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maine is a leader in PFAS regulation, having passed numerous laws regulating the production of PFAS products and our food supply. But even as our state makes important advances to protect our health, the other side of the coin shows companies pushing for weaker standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pesticide manufacturers unsuccessfully lobbied the Legislature for a blanket exclusion from PFAS regulations. Now, they are promoting new PFAS pesticides to the Board of Pesticide Control, which oversees the state\u2019s pesticide registration system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Board of Pesticide Control has echoed industry talking points downplaying the dangers of PFAS. In order to protect our families from PFAS contamination, the Board of Pesticide Control needs to get on board with PFAS regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maine isn\u2019t just cleaning up past messes but has adopted comprehensive laws to prevent future contamination by, as I put it in a Senate testimony<\/strong><\/a> in 2021, \u201cturning off the PFAS tap.\u201d Notably, the PFAS in Products Law<\/strong><\/a>, which was enacted that same year, requires pesticides sold in the state to be PFAS-free by 2032 \u2014 unless the manufacturer can establish that a product meets the narrow \u201ccurrently unavoidable use\u201d exemption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decides which pesticides may be sold in the U.S., federal law<\/strong><\/a> gives states leeway to endorse or reject the EPA\u2019s decisions, and authority to set more protective environmental and safety standards. Maine regulators have exercised this prerogative over many years under Republican and Democratic federal administrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, it was surprising and incredibly disappointing that the Board of Pesticide Control rushed to rubber-stamp the EPA\u2019s approval of two new PFAS-laden pesticides: cyclobutrifluram and isocycloseram. National farmworker, conservation and food safety organizations have challenged<\/strong><\/a> the EPA\u2019s approval of these PFAS pesticides in federal court for failing to follow the agency\u2019s own cancer guidelines and federal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of digging into existing research on PFAS, the Board of Pesticide Control\u2019s toxicologist downplayed toxicity concerns. Given the extent of PFAS contamination, costs and public concern, the Board of Pesticide Control had a responsibility to exercise independent judgment and carefully review the EPA decision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As Nathan Donley of the Center for Biological Diversity points out<\/a>,<\/strong> the EPA\u2019s decision didn\u2019t address the worrisome data: that cyclobutrifluram is known<\/strong><\/a> to break down into a smaller forever chemical which is likely one of the world\u2019s most pervasive water contaminants<\/strong><\/a>, nor that research<\/a> <\/strong>has linked isocycloseram to reduced testicle size, lower sperm counts and liver toxicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maine\u2019s Board of Pesticides Control needs to go back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of rushing to approve new PFAS products, it should take seriously the mandate to phase out unnecessary PFAS and begin reviewing already registered products to prepare for the 2032 deadline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86990","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n