PFAS & Microplastics in U.S. Farming: What We Know About Their Impact on Agriculture
From the surface, healthy farmland can appear simple: soil, water, sunlight and crops working together through the growing season. Beneath that familiar picture, however, scientists are finding a more complicated environmental story.
Among the substances receiving increased attention are PFAS and microplastics in agriculture. Both can enter farming environments through several different pathways, and researchers are investigating what happens after they reach agricultural soil.
The research is ongoing, but it is beginning to change how scientists think about the long-term health of farmland.
How PFAS Can Enter Farmland
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a broad class of manufactured chemicals. Some have been used for decades because of their resistance to heat, water and oil. Their persistence has made certain PFAS an environmental concern. Agriculture can encounter these chemicals in several ways. One pathway involves biosolids, which are treated materials generated through wastewater treatment. Some biosolids are used on agricultural land because they contain nutrients and organic material that can benefit soil.
The challenge is that wastewater can contain PFAS from numerous sources before it reaches a treatment facility. Consequently, PFAS may remain in treated biosolids.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been examining what this could mean for agricultural land. Its 2025 draft assessment focused on PFOA and PFOS and modeled potential exposure under particular land-application conditions.
Those findings should not be interpreted as evidence that all farmland or the entire American food supply is contaminated. Instead, they illustrate how environmental conditions and farming practices can influence potential exposure.
Can PFAS Move From Soil Into Crops?
This is one of the most important questions surrounding PFAS in farming. Some plants can take up PFAS from their growing environment, but the process is not uniform. Different chemicals behave differently, and plants can vary in how much they absorb and where those chemicals accumulate.
The FDA has investigated PFAS in food and has examined food associated with areas where environmental contamination is known. Researchers are continuing to study how soil and water contamination can translate into exposure through crops.
That means detecting PFAS in agricultural soil does not, by itself, establish that a crop is contaminated at a level that presents a health concern. Scientists need to consider the chemical involved, its concentration, the crop being grown and the route by which people or animals could be exposed.
Microplastics Are Another Agricultural Concern
PFAS are only part of the story. Microplastics in agricultural soil can originate from the breakdown of larger plastic products or enter fields through materials used in agricultural and wastewater systems. These particles are generally smaller than 5 millimeters. Plastic mulch is one potential source. Farmers use plastic films for practical reasons, including weed management, moisture conservation and temperature control. When plastic remains in the field or fragments over time, however, smaller pieces can accumulate in the soil.
USDA researchers have also identified biosolids and reclaimed wastewater as potential sources of microplastics entering agricultural environments. Scientists are studying whether these particles can alter soil characteristics, interact with microorganisms or affect plant development. There is also interest in whether microplastics can influence the behavior of other substances in soil.
The evidence is not yet simple enough to describe one universal effect. Results can vary depending on the material, particle size, concentration and environmental conditions.
Why This Matters to Farmers
For American farmers, PFAS and microplastics are not necessarily problems that can be understood through a single national rule or measurement. Conditions can differ dramatically from one farm to another. The history of a property, its water supply, soil composition, use of biosolids, agricultural plastics and surrounding land uses can all affect potential exposure.
Where PFAS contamination is suspected, farmers may want to consult appropriate state agricultural or environmental agencies, Cooperative Extension professionals or qualified laboratories before making management decisions. For microplastics, careful handling and removal of agricultural plastics can reduce the amount of new plastic entering the soil.
What Researchers Are Still Learning
Agricultural soil is a living system, and contaminants do not necessarily behave the same way in a laboratory as they do in a working field. That is one reason researchers are continuing to study PFAS and microplastics under real-world conditions. Questions remain about long-term accumulation, movement through soil and water, plant uptake and possible interactions between different contaminants.
The emerging research does not suggest that every American farm faces the same level of risk. Rather, it points to the importance of understanding local conditions and tracking contaminants where there is a reasonable reason for concern. For farmers, researchers and policymakers, the broader lesson is that soil health involves more than nutrients and fertility.
The substances entering agricultural environments, whether intentionally applied, carried by water or left behind by modern materials, can become part of the soil's longer story. As research continues, that story may help determine how American agriculture manages farmland for decades to come.
Sources & References
1. PFAS in Sewage Sludge & Biosolids — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Referenced in: “How PFAS Can Enter Farmland.” This EPA resource provides background on PFAS in sewage sludge and biosolids, including information about how PFAS can enter wastewater and become associated with sewage sludge. EPA — PFAS in Sewage Sludge
2. Draft PFOA & PFOS Risk Assessment — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Referenced in: “How PFAS Can Enter Farmland.” This EPA assessment examines potential exposure and risks associated with PFOA and PFOS in sewage sludge, including scenarios involving land application. EPA — Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS
3. EPA Questions & Answers on PFOA & PFOS in Biosolids
Referenced in: “How PFAS Can Enter Farmland” and “Can PFAS Move From Soil Into Crops?”
This resource provides additional context concerning the EPA's risk assessment and explains why potential exposure can depend on environmental and agricultural conditions.
4. PFAS in Food — U.S. Food & Drug Administration
Referenced in: “Can PFAS Move From Soil Into Crops?” The FDA provides information about PFAS in food and research concerning environmental contamination and the movement of PFAS into food. FDA — Questions and Answers on PFAS in Food
5. Microplastics in Agricultural Soils — USDA Agricultural Research Service
Referenced in: “Microplastics Are Another Agricultural Concern.” This USDA research publication examines microplastics in agricultural soils and discusses potential sources, including agricultural plastics, biosolids and reclaimed wastewater. USDA Agricultural Research Service — Microplastics in Agricultural Soils
6. EPA Draft Guidance on PFOA & PFOS in Biosolids — 2026
Referenced in: “Why This Matters to Farmers.” This 2026 EPA resource discusses draft guidance concerning potential risks associated with PFOA and PFOS in biosolids. Because the document is draft guidance, it should not be treated as a final regulation. EPA — Draft Guidance for Reducing Risk From PFOA and PFOS in Biosolids
