PFAS analysis
A new study has found that plants can act as sensitive indicators of recent PFAS contamination, detecting airborne pollution that may go unnoticed in conventional soil analyses. The research showed that potato leaves contained significantly higher levels of certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as "forever chemicals," than the surrounding agricultural soils, suggesting direct exposure from atmospheric deposition rather than root uptake alone.
The findings, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, indicate that vegetation could provide an early warning system for emerging PFAS pollution and complement traditional environmental monitoring methods.
The study was led by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Agricultural Research Organisation (ARO) – Volcani Institute, Israel's National Public Health Laboratory, and the Southern R&D Centre (MOP Darom).
To investigate how PFAS move through agricultural environments, researchers analysed soil, potato leaves, and potato tubers collected from farming areas in southern Israel. The region offered a unique opportunity to examine environmental contamination under complex real-world conditions, including areas located near an active conflict zone.
PFAS were detected in all samples, but their distribution varied significantly between soils, leaves, and edible plant tissues.
Researchers found that agricultural soils were primarily contaminated with PFAS associated with long-term sources such as treated wastewater irrigation and biosolid applications. However, potato leaves were dominated by short-chain PFAS compounds known for their ability to travel through the atmosphere.
In some locations, PFAS concentrations in potato leaves were hundreds of times higher than those found in nearby soils. This striking difference suggests that airborne PFAS deposition may be an important pathway of contamination, allowing plants to absorb pollutants directly from the atmosphere.
The results indicate that vegetation may capture recent environmental exposures, while soil measurements often reflect years or even decades of accumulated contamination.
Although the study did not identify specific contamination sources, researchers noted that PFAS linked to military activities could be one possible contributor to atmospheric deposition.
Potential sources include aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF), widely used in firefighting operations, as well as PFAS-containing materials associated with explosives, combustion processes, and military training activities.
Importantly, the study found no direct relationship between soil PFAS concentrations and distance from nearby conflict-affected areas. However, the elevated concentrations detected in plant leaves compared with soils support the possibility that airborne PFAS inputs may be occurring.
The authors emphasise that further research is needed to identify specific emission sources and better understand how PFAS enter agricultural ecosystems through the atmosphere.
While PFAS were detected in potato tubers, concentrations were substantially lower than those measured in leaves. This finding aligns with previous research showing that PFAS tend to accumulate more heavily in plant leaves and roots, while transfer into edible fruits, grains, and storage organs is generally more limited.
The results provide additional evidence that above-ground plant tissues can serve as valuable indicators of environmental PFAS exposure without necessarily translating into high concentrations in harvested crops.
PFAS are a large group of synthetic chemicals used in products such as non-stick cookware, water-resistant coatings, food packaging, textiles, and firefighting foams. Because they degrade extremely slowly, PFAS contamination has become widespread in air, water, soil, food, and human populations worldwide.
Today, PFAS are routinely detected in the blood of most people, raising growing concerns about their long-term environmental and health impacts.
The new study highlights a key challenge for environmental monitoring: historical contamination can mask recent pollution events when relying solely on soil testing. Vegetation, by contrast, may provide a more immediate snapshot of ongoing environmental exposure and atmospheric contaminant deposition.
According to the researchers, incorporating vegetation and air sampling into environmental surveillance programs could improve the detection of emerging PFAS contamination sources.
The findings suggest that plants may function as natural environmental sentinels, revealing recent airborne PFAS pollution that traditional soil monitoring methods can miss. As concerns over forever chemicals continue to grow, vegetation-based monitoring could become an important tool for tracking contamination pathways, assessing environmental risks, and protecting agricultural landscapes.
The study demonstrates that plants may reveal recent PFAS contamination long before it becomes apparent in soil records. By capturing airborne pollutants directly from the atmosphere, vegetation provides unique insight into ongoing environmental processes and emerging contamination sources. As researchers continue to investigate the movement of PFAS through agricultural systems, plant-based monitoring may play an increasingly important role in identifying pollution hotspots and improving environmental protection strategies.
IET 36.2 Mar/Apr 2026
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