PFAS Found in 23 Vegetables From Eight Suffolk County Farms

A collaborative study by Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Stony Brook University scientists and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility found PFAS in every produce sample taken from eight Long Island farms, the groups reported March 6, 2026. The testing panel included 23 vegetables, explicitly naming lettuce, carrots and beets among the samples; the study release did not list farm names or concentrations for the detected compounds.

Stony Brook University scientists provided context for why detections matter on Long Island, which is an EPA-designated sole-source aquifer supplying the region’s groundwater. In Stony Brook materials the university noted that “these substances contain multiple carbon‑fluorine (C‑F) covalent bonds, which is one of the strongest in organic chemistry, making them highly resistant to degradation in the natural environment. Once released into the environment, PFAS can persist forever and hence called ‘forever chemicals.’” Stony Brook also links PFAS exposure to reproductive toxicity, reduced newborn growth metrics, immunotoxicity, elevated cholesterol and associations with cancer.

Federal and regional monitoring details underscore intersecting concerns for produce and water. The US Geological Survey’s nationwide tap-water testing used a method for 32 PFAS compounds and found PFBS, PFHxS and PFOA most frequently detected; USGS noted that EPA interim advisories issued in 2022 for PFOS and PFOA were exceeded in every sample in which those chemicals were detected. USGS guidance also reminds homeowners that testing is the only way to confirm PFAS in private wells: “Those interested in testing and treating private wells should contact their local and state officials for guidance. Testing is the only way to confirm the presence of these contaminants in wells.”

A separate water example cited in reporting from New Jersey highlights regulatory complications. MarinMurphyLaw reported that a January 23, 2024 sample at the Stony Brook Plant showed PFOA at 7.5 parts per trillion and stated “this level exceeds the EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 4 ppt for PFOA, finalized in April 2024.” The same report also said the 7.5 ppt value “exceeds the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 14 ppt,” an internal contradiction the source did not resolve.

Local lawmakers and university organizers have been pressing for coordinated action and research. Assembly member Tommy John Schiavoni of Southampton said, “Our regional environment is defined by water,” noting that PFAS and microplastics “threaten the health of our communities and ecosystem.” Assembly member Rebecca Kassay, who represents Stony Brook, added, “Especially here on Long Island, we get it. We get the importance of clean water because we know it is a finite source.” Luis Medina Faull, an assistant professor who helped organize a Stony Brook workshop on emerging contaminants, said the goal was to connect researchers so they “write some proposals and have some projects and do some research.”

Key gaps remain in the produce study that limit immediate public-health interpretation: the study release did not provide sampling dates, farm identities or locations, laboratory names, chain-of-custody records, which PFAS compounds were measured in each sample, or numeric concentrations. Those omissions constrain comparisons to EPA advisories and state MCLs and leave open questions about contamination pathways from groundwater, soil, compost or other sources. With Long Island’s sole-source aquifer status and tightened federal standards already in place for PFOA and PFOS, researchers and advocates say timely release of complete lab reports and farm-level data is necessary for regulators and community health officials to assess dietary exposure risks and to plan testing and remediation.