The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) are warning about dangerous chemicals getting into food through contaminated water used in farming, according to a new report released this week. Experts met in Rome last month to look at water quality problems in agriculture and how they affect food safety. They found that farmers are using more alternative water sources, which can contain harmful chemicals that end up in the food we eat.
The problem is getting worse as traditional water sources become scarce or polluted. Farmers are turning to recycled water, groundwater, and other sources that may contain industrial chemicals, heavy metals, and other contaminants. These substances can build up in crops and reach consumers.
The expert group identified six high-priority chemicals that pose the biggest risks: arsenic, lead, cadmium, fluoride, microcystins, and PFAS (also called “forever chemicals”). These substances can cause serious health problems when people eat contaminated food over time. The experts looked at how much exposure people get through their diets and ranked the chemicals by risk level. They found that current monitoring systems aren’t good enough to catch these problems before contaminated food reaches the market.
The report calls for better cooperation between agriculture, health, and environmental agencies using what experts call a “One Health” approach. This means treating human health, animal health, and environmental health as connected issues that need to be managed together.
The WHO and FAO want governments to improve testing methods, create better regulations, and help farmers learn how to use water sources safely without contaminating their crops.
