Harmful chemicals in sewage sludge spread on pasture as fertilizer pose a risk to people who regularly consume milk, beef and other products from those farms, in some cases raising cancer risk “several orders of magnitude” above what the Environmental Protection Agency considers acceptable, federal officials announced Tuesday.
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When cities and towns treat sewage, they separate the liquids from the solids and treat the liquid. The solids need to be disposed of and can make a nutrient-rich sludge often spread on farm fields. The agency now says those solids often contain toxic, lasting PFAS that treatment plants cannot effectively remove. When people eat or drink foods containing these “forever” chemicals, the compounds accumulate in the body and can cause kidney, prostate and testicular cancer.
The federal government has the power to regulate harmful substances in sewage sludge. It has set limits on some metals. But it does not regulate PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. “This draft assessment provides important information to help inform future actions by federal and state agencies as well as steps that wastewater systems, farmers and other stakeholders can take to protect people from PFAS exposure, while ensuring American industry keeps feeding and fueling our nation,” EPA Acting Administrator Jane Nishida said in a statement.
Sewage sludge has been used as fertilizer for many years. Wastewater treatment plants produce millions of tons of sludge and tens of millions of acres of farmland have been permitted to use it, according to a group that’s compiled state data. The agency says this sludge is applied on less than 1% of fertilized acreage of productive agriculture each year.The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy.
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