Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in agriculture: environmental fate, bioaccumulation and management
September 5, 2025 - Hui Li
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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a class of persistent synthetic chemicals that have been extensively utilized in industrial and consumer applications. Their environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity have raised significant public concerns and led to regulation in some regions during the past two decades. This paper presents a brief review, focusing on the perspective of PFAS contamination in agriculture. Specifically, the paper elucidates the primary pathways by which PFAS enter agricultural systems. After PFAS chemicals enter the agricultural environment, soil serves as the sink and the sources accessible by biota such as crops, livestock, and wildlife. PFAS sorption by soil is characterized as a complicated dynamic process, with carbon-fluorine chain length as the major factor influencing their mobility and bioavailability. PFAS uptake and translocation in crops vary in plant species; short-chain PFAS demonstrate higher bioaccumulation in edible plant tissues, raising critical concerns regarding food safety. Livestock exposure to contaminated feed and water leads to PFAS bioaccumulation in animals and the derived food products, posing additional risks to human health. This perspective further briefs toxicological implications to human and ecosystem health, highlights current remediation and mitigation strategies, and assesses regulatory frameworks governing PFAS in the agricultural environment. Future research directions emphasize mechanistic understanding of plant and animal uptake, innovative remediation technologies, long-term environmental exposure and risk assessment, and regulation development. Immediate actions on PFAS contamination in agriculture are imperative to safeguard ecosystem integrity, food safety, and public health.
