New EPA report shows cancer threat from PFAS-tainted fertilizer
“Forever chemicals” in sewage sludge used as fertilizer on farms poses risks of cancer and other illness, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In some circumstances, the risks from PFAS-laden fertilizer can exceed the agency’s acceptable thresholds by “several orders of magnitude.”
Some of the highest risks of cancer and other illness linked to PFAS-laden sludge include consuming milk, beef, or eggs from contaminated farms, as well as drinking water and fish (where runoff from farm fields has contaminated lakes or ponds with PFAS), according to EPA’s new draft risk assessment. And while there are limited studies on how much PFAS moves from soil to plants, the agency’s analysis suggests that some PFAS-laden fertilizer can create cancer risks from eating “certain fruits and vegetables.”
The EPA’s draft report only assessed risk for two PFAS in sewage sludge – PFOA and PFOS – though there are thousands of these toxic forever chemicals in use today. The agency also only looked at the health risks from food and water where these chemicals directly contaminated farmland, and asserts that PFAS sludge has not put the broader U.S. food supply at risk.
However, the toxic threat of PFAS on farmland could expand greatly soon. While sewage sludge is currently applied to less than 1 percent of fertilized farmland each year, the practice is now authorized at almost 70 million acres, according to agribusiness estimates. That’s one-fifth of all agricultural land in the U.S.
PFAS does not belong on America’s farms or our food. That’s why Environment America is calling for an end to using PFAS-laden sewage sludge on farmland and holding fertilizer companies accountable for contaminating farms.
And we’re also working to end the use of PFAS to begin with. The whole reason PFAS winds up in sewage sludge is that companies continue to use them in a wide range of products – even pharmaceuticals. As the EPA stated in issuing its report: “The findings of the draft risk assessment underscore the importance of proactive federal and state policies to control and remove PFAS at their source.” We agree.
Tell your U.S. senators: Hold polluters responsible for the contamination of farmland with PFAS-tainted fertilizer
Toxic threats
Tell your U.S. senators: Hold polluters responsible for the contamination of farmland with PFAS-tainted fertilizer
The health risks posed by PFAS are vast and debilitating. Farmers whose land has been contaminated by these “forever chemicals” should be able to hold polluters accountable.
