Toxins dubbed “forever chemicals” have been found in common fruits, vegetables and spices in the UK, with tests revealing the worst toxins.

The news has alarmed activists about the potential impact on public health.

PFA chemicals used in some pesticides were found in a range of foods by 2022, according to the latest government testing results.

PFAs are known as “forever chemicals” because they take centuries to break down in the environment, they can accumulate in organisms and have been linked to serious health conditions.

More than 3,300 food and drink samples in the UK supply chain will be tested for around 401 pesticide residues by 2022, according to a report by the Department for the Environment’s Pesticide Residues Advisory Committee (PRiF).

The Pesticide Action Network (Pan UK) analyzed the test results and found that strawberries were the culprit, with 95% of 120 samples tested containing PFA pesticides.

This was followed by 61% of 109 grape samples tested, 56% of 121 cherry samples, 42% of 96 spinach samples and 38% of 96 tomato samples.

Meanwhile, analysis showed that at least 15% of samples of peaches, cucumbers, apricots and beans contained PFA.

PRiF reported that 56.4% of the samples tested contained residues of the pesticide they were testing for, but this was below the maximum residue levels (MRL) allowed by law for food.

At the same time, 1.8% of samples contained pesticide residues exceeding legal standards.

The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carries out risk assessments of all pesticide residues found during the testing programme, and will take further action if a health risk is identified, the report said.

“It is important to note that even if residue levels in food are above the MRL, the HSE rarely identifies any possible risk to the health of people consuming the food,” it said.

However, Pan UK said the MRL does not guarantee a safe amount of pesticides in food and does not take into account the many other pathways of potential exposure to PFA, such as plastic food packaging, drinking water and various household products.

Nick Mole, from Pan UK, said: “Given the growing evidence linking PFA to serious diseases such as cancer, it is deeply concerning that UK consumers have no choice but to consume these chemicals. There is concern that some of these chemicals may remain in their bodies for a long time to come.

“We urgently need to better understand the health risks associated with ingesting these ‘forever chemicals’ and do everything we can to keep them out of the food chain.”

Pan UK is urging the government to ban 25 PFA pesticides currently in use in the UK, six of which are classified as “highly hazardous”.

Ministers should also step up support for farmers to help them end their reliance on chemicals and adopt safer, more sustainable alternatives, the group said.

Mr Moore said: “The UK Government’s long-delayed plan to limit the negative impacts of PFA focuses only on industrial chemicals and completely ignores pesticides.

“PFA pesticides are absolutely unnecessary to grow food and are easily avoidable sources of PFA contamination.

“Getting rid of them is a huge win for consumers, farmers and the environment.”

Dr Shubhi Sharma of the Chem Trust, which works to protect people and animals from harmful chemicals, said: “PFAs are a completely man-made group of chemicals that did not exist on the planet a century ago and have now contaminated every corner. .

“No one agreed to be exposed to these harmful chemicals, we did not opt ​​out, and now we must live with this toxic legacy for decades to come.

“The least we can do is stop adding to this toxic burden by banning the use of PFA.”

The Department for the Environment and HSE have been contacted for comment.