Shannon Kelleher of The New Lede spoke with Defend Our Health about a new report published Feb. 13, 2026 by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The report offers a framework for the agency to address the contamination of US farmland with toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a class of humanmade chemicals that accumulate in the environment and the bodies of humans and animals.
“This report correctly finds that, in addition to testing data to determine the extent of PFAS contamination on our farms, much more research is needed into crop alternatives that do not uptake and transport PFAS so that contaminated fields can be safely and productively used without furthering toxic exposures to consumers,” said Emily Carey Perez de Alejo, executive director of Defend Our Health, a nonprofit based in Maine, which has led efforts to solve the PFAS and farmland crisis.
Efforts to assess the full extent of PFAS contamination on farmland and in the food system should look at PFAS as a class of thousands of chemicals instead of focusing on a handful of specific chemicals, she said.
Read the full story here (published February 20, 2026)