WASHINGTON— The Environmental Protection Agency today approved the highly persistent pesticide isocycloseram for golf courses, lawns and food crops such as oranges, tomatoes, almonds, peas, and oats. The pesticide is a “forever chemical” — one of a group called PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Today’s announcement marks the second approval of a PFAS pesticide since Trump took office, with the first approval coming just two weeks before. The administration plans to approve three more PFAS pesticides in the coming year.

“To approve more PFAS pesticides amid the growing awareness of the serious, long-term dangers from these forever chemicals is absurdly shortsighted,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The undeniable reality is that the Trump administration is knowingly putting the nation’s children at greater risk of developing serious reproductive and liver harms for generations to come.”

Isocycloseram is classified as moderately persistent to persistent and is known to transform into 40 smaller PFAS chemicals, some of which are much more highly persistent.