New Survey: Americans Are Concerned About Harmful Chemicals in Food, Water and Everyday Products
Feb 26, 2026Emily Difrisco
New today from The Pew Charitable Trusts: More than 70% of adults in the United States are very or somewhat concerned about their own or their loved ones’ exposure to harmful chemicals in food and drinking water, and a majority is also concerned about chemicals in food packaging, children’s and baby products, farmland, and other sources.
Further, about 5 in 6 want government and business to do more to ensure chemical safety and increase transparency around the use of chemicals.
The national survey is part of Pew’s work to reduce Americans’ exposure to harmful endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).
The endocrine system is extremely sensitive, producing hormones to manage human development and critical bodily functions such as reproduction, childhood development, puberty, metabolism, and immunity. By mimicking, blocking, or otherwise interfering with hormones, EDCs disrupt these delicate processes, increasing the risk of a range of health effects including infertility and reduced sperm quality, preterm birth, impaired brain development, early puberty, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. EDCs are ubiquitous—found in food, drinking water, farmland, consumer products, and construction materials, among many other things—virtually everyone in the U.S. has detectable levels of these chemicals in their bodies.
Common EDCs include bisphenols, such as BPA (bisphenol A), and phthalates, both of which can be present in plastics, food packaging, and personal care products; “forever chemicals” known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are often used to make surfaces resistant to heat, oil, water, and stains; and certain flame retardants.
Harmful EDCs continue to be used with limited government oversight and transparency about what products they are in. When asked if they were satisfied with the efforts of government and companies to ensure chemical safety, U.S. adults overwhelmingly said that they want more oversight, transparency, and accountability.
CEH and many organizations are concerned about possible rollbacks on the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) — a bedrock chemical safety law which empowers the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stop companies from putting dangerous chemicals into everyday products. Learn more about TSCA.