03
Jun
Widely Used Fungicide and Breakdown Products Threaten Consumers and Wildlife by Triggering Oxidative Stress
(Beyond Pesticides, June 3, 2026) A study, published in PeerJ today, by researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the U.S. and the University of Pisa in Italy, finds that the widely used fungicide fludioxonil and its breakdown products, including a âforever chemicalâ per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substance (PFAS), threaten environmental and human health. Through a review of scientific literature (from 2021-2025) of the ecological and health effects of fludioxonil, the authors find evidence of this chemicalâs mechanisms of toxicity, including oxidative stress, that are enhanced as it degrades in the environment. Oxidative stressâŻoccurs when there is a disruption of normal cell-signaling and molecular damage, leading to an imbalance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals (unstable oxygen molecules) that the body is unable to detoxify.âŻIn particular, sunlight exposure causes fludioxonil to break down into a PFAS that is linked to adverse health implications for the environment, wildlife, and humans. One of the authors, Warren Porter, PhD, is a board member for Beyond Pesticides and presented at the 2021 National Pesticide Forum. Dr. Porter is an emeritus Professor of Integrative Biology and an Ardath and Robert Rodale Professor of Environmental Toxicology, with previous research showing that combinations of commonly used agricultural chemicals in concentrations that mirror levels found in groundwater can significantly influence immune, endocrine, and neurological health in animals. His research also links pesticide exposure in utero to impaired learning, changes in brain function, and […]
