Is washing with water enough to get pfas pesticides off fruits vegetables?

Washing fruits and vegetables with water can help remove some pesticides, but it might not get rid of all of them, especially if they're PFAS.

Imagine you're cleaning a muddy shoe with just water. You scrub, and most of the mud comes off. But some tiny bits of dirt still stick to the shoe’s surface because they’re really small and stubborn. That's kind of what happens with PFAS pesticides, they're like that tiny, stubborn dirt.

Water can wash away bigger, easier-to-remove pesticides, but PFAS are special kinds of chemicals. They're like tiny, slippery bugs that don't want to come off easily. Sometimes, you need a stronger cleaner, like soap or vinegar, to help them all go away.

So while water is a good start, it's not the whole story. It’s like giving your shoe a quick rinse instead of a full scrub, it helps, but you might still feel some dirt when you walk.