PFAS, often called “forever chemicals,” are a growing regulatory and economic challenge for agriculture, even though farms usually sit downstream from contamination sources such as biosolids, compost, irrigation water and industrial sites. This paper argues that treating thousands of chemically diverse compounds as one uniform hazard distorts policy and penalizes farmers. Detection is not the same as risk: the strongest health evidence centers on a few compounds, mainly PFOA and PFOS. The authors review federal and state regulation, litigation and EPA’s 2026 draft biosolids guidance, and recommend source control, strategic testing, compound-by-compound interpretation, documentation and early, credible risk communication.

This commentary examines the growing societal challenges posed by misinformation in an era where scientific advances have dramatically improved human health, food security, and quality of life. Despite the proven benefits of empirically based science—from vaccines and antibiotics to modern crop biotechnology—public trust in science is being eroded by the rapid spread of inaccurate and sensationalized information, amplified by digital media and activist-driven narratives.