Toxic Chemicals in US Water and Food

Environmental Working Group Reveals New Data on ‘Forever Chemicals’ 

Washing produce in tap water. Pexels

Two major 2026 datasets from nonprofit, public health watchdog Environmental Working Group (EWG) highlight a growing environmental health concern: Americans are routinely exposed to harmful chemicals through both drinking water and food. 

EWG’s updated PFAS contamination map (PFAS refers to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or “forever chemicals,” known for their persistence in the environment and human body) and its 2026 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce find widespread, overlapping chemical exposure pathways—raising concerns about long-term human and ecological health.

 Key Data Points

• EWG’s new PFAS map identifies 9,728 locations in the US where toxic “forever chemicals” have been detected in water systems. 

• Drinking water tests indicate that 176 million people in the US live in communities with detectable PFAS in their water supply. 

• Federal monitoring mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act has already found 3,539 public water systems with detectable PFAS, representing about 95% of systems tested.

• Separate EWG analysis identifies 41,828 industrial and municipal sites that may be producing or releasing PFAS into the environment. According to EWG, “PFAS do not break down in the environment and can build up in our bodies, and they’re known to cause a number of serious health harms.”

• EWG’s 2026 Shopper’s Guide is based on over 54,000 US Department of Agriculture–tested samples of fruits and vegetables. 

• A PFAS-linked fungicide (fludioxonil) was detected in 14% of all tested produce samples. 

• Certain fruits—such as peaches and plums—showed PFAS-related pesticide residues in around 90% of samples tested. 

• Strawberries ranked No. 1 on EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” list, with tests showing multiple pesticide residues on a single sample, often including 10 or more different chemicals. 

• Spinach samples contained an average of seven different pesticides, with up to 19 detected in a single sample. EWG warns that “pesticides can be harmful to health, including by disrupting the hormone and reproductive systems and harming the nervous system, especially during development and early life.”

• The neurotoxic insecticide permethrin—banned on food crops in Europe—was found in 76% of spinach samples. EWG says that, at high doses, “permethrin overwhelms the nervous system and causes tremors and seizures.”

• Many produce samples contain four or more pesticide residues per item, highlighting cumulative exposure risks.

Why It Matters

Together, these datasets suggest that chemical exposure linked to adverse health effects is not isolated—it is systemic, occurring across essential daily needs. PFAS persist in the environment and human body, while pesticide residues—some linked to hormone disruption and chronic disease—are commonly found even after washing produce.