EPA Approves Three Pesticides Containing Single-Fluorinated-Carbon Molecules

The Environmental Protection Agency approved three chemical pesticides for use on June 30. The products are diflufenican, epyrifenacil, and trifludimoxazin. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Food Safety said the approvals raise health concerns.

They stated that diflufenican and epyrifenacil break down into trifluoroacetic acid, a compound they consider a water contaminant. The groups also said epyrifenacil caused liver tumors in male mice and that trifludimoxazin has shown suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity.

The EPA rejected the definition of PFAS used by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The agency said its own standard requires two or more fluorinated carbons because single-fluorinated-carbon molecules lack the persistence and bioaccumulation that define genuine PFAS.

The Center for Biological Diversity disagreed. It said chemicals with single fully fluorinated carbons can remain in the environment for generations and that most PFAS pesticides are expected to degrade into TFA. The EPA said its registration decisions followed comprehensive toxicity testing, children's safety evaluations, reproductive and chronic health assessments, environmental fate analysis, and Endangered Species Act reviews.

The agency added that persistence and bioaccumulation are exactly what single-fluorinated-carbon compounds lack. Denmark's Environmental Protection Agency withdrew authorization for 23 pesticides, including diflufenican, in 2025, citing alleged TFA contamination.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not respond to a request for comment.