Latest news with #Pfas-tainted
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Landmark US study reveals sewage sludge and wastewater plants tied to Pfas pollution
Sewage sludge and wastewater treatment plants are major sources of Pfas water pollution, new research finds, raising questions about whether the US is safely managing its waste. A first-of-its-kind study tested rivers bordering 32 sewage sludge sites, including wastewater treatment plants and fields where the substance is spread as fertilizer – it found concerning levels of Pfas around all but one. The study is the first to sample water up- and downstream from sites, and to test around the country. It found the levels downstream were higher for at least one Pfas compound 95% of the time, suggesting that the sludge sites are behind the increased pollution levels. 'We have an indication of very widespread problems and significant exposures that people are going to be facing,' said Kelly Hunter Foster, an environmental attorney with the Waterkeeper Alliance, which conducted the study. Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds that are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity. Sludge is a mix of human and industrial waste that is a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. Its disposal is expensive, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows it to be spread on cropland as 'biosolid' fertilizer because it is also rich in plant nutrients. But public health advocates have blasted the practice because the nation spends billions of dollars annually treating water only to take the toxic byproduct, insert it into the food supply and re-pollute water. Wastewater treatment plants' effluent, or allegedly clean water that they spit back into water systems, often contain high levels of Pfas. Most of the levels far exceeded the EPA's draft guidance for Pfas in surface waters, which is as low as 0.0009 parts per trillion for PFOA, one of the most common and dangerous types of compounds. The authors looked at water in 19 states, and found the highest levels in Detroit's Rouge River, which showed 44ppt of PFOA; North Carolina's Haw River; South Carolina's Pocotaligo River and Maryland's Potomac River. The largest increase around a wastewater plant was found in the Rouge River, where Detroit's mammoth facility spits Pfas-tainted effluent. The chemicals' levels jumped by 146% to about 80ppt for all Pfas. The Pocotaligo, Haw, and Santa Ana River in southern California saw similar spikes. The largest increase around a field on which sewage sludge was spread was found in the Dragoon Creek near Spokane, Washington, where total Pfas levels jumped from about 0.63 ppt to about 33ppt, an increase of over 5,100%. The EPA has long resisted calls to ban the spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural fields, though a 2024 lawsuit that alleges Clean Water Act violations could force some regulatory action. The Trump administration has scrapped the rulemaking process for industrial discharges of Pfas that Joe Biden's EPA began. That would have forced treatment plants to rein in their pollution.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump administration yanks $15m in research into Pfas on US farms: ‘not just stupid, it's evil'
The Trump administration has killed nearly $15m in research into Pfas contamination of US farmland, bringing to a close studies that public health advocates say are essential for understanding a worrying source of widespread food contamination. Researchers in recent years have begun to understand that Pfas-laden pesticides and sewage sludge spread on cropland as a fertilizer contaminate the soil with the chemicals, which then move into crops and nearby water sources. Sludge is behind a still unfolding crisis in Maine, where 84 farms have been found to be significantly contaminated with Pfas, and some were forced to close. Advocates say farms across the nation are almost certainly contaminated at similar levels, but Maine is the only state with a robust testing program. The impacts on members of the public who eat from the farms in Maine and beyond is unclear. 'We have to do this research and take steps to not just make sure that our food supply is safe, but also ensure our farms and farmers are safe,' said Bill Pluecker, a Maine state representative and public policy organizer at Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, which has advocated for stricter sludge regulations. 'As we've seen here in Maine, farmers are the most affected by the Pfas because they're working the soil, eating the food and drinking from wells.' Pfas are a class of around 15,000 compounds that are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not respond to a request for comment. Sludge is a mix of human and industrial waste that is a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. Its disposal is expensive, and the EPA allows it to be spread on cropland as 'biosolid' fertilizer because it is also rich in plant nutrients. But public health advocates have blasted the practice because the nation spends billions of dollars annually treating water only to take the toxic byproduct, insert it into the food supply and re-pollute water. Maine became the first state to ban biosolids, and it established a $70m fund to help bail out affected farmers. So far, five farms have closed, and some farmers say they are suffering from health issues. The EPA under Joe Biden was resistant to calls to take more action around contaminated farms and to ban the practice. A 2024 federal lawsuit alleging water pollution from Pfas-tainted sludge violates the Clean Water Act has the potential to end the practice altogether, or force the EPA into establishing regulations. Amid this pressure, it set up the $15m program that funded 10 studies led by universities across the country. The research aimed to learn more about how the chemicals move into and accumulate in crops and livestock. Some research also looked at urban gardens; wastewater treatment plants often sell tainted sludge that it labels as 'organic'. Other research aimed to improve mitigation strategies. Previous research has highlighted the risks in crops uptaking Pfas. In North Carolina, researchers found water-rich fruits and vegetables – such as strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, blueberries and blackberries – showed higher levels than starch-rich produce, such as corn, because Pfas are attracted to water. Related: New Mexico sues US air force over Pfas pollution from military base The same study found the levels crops uptake can be quite high. For example, a child who eats just 10 blueberries from one of the gardens tested would consume levels of GenX, a common Pfas compound, equivalent to drinking a liter of water with levels of the chemical above the federal limit. The Trump administration, along with Elon Musk's so-called 'department of government efficiency', or Doge, killed the program in May, but recently reinstated funding for two studies. It is unclear why that funding was reinstated, but other funding was not. Several scientists told the Guardian they were appealing the decision, but declined to comment beyond that. The administration's move is 'not just stupid, it's evil', said Kyla Bennett, science director with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), and a former EPA attorney. 'Cutting funding into research on how these toxic chemicals get into our food will doom us to decades or even hundreds of years more of exposure,' Bennett said.
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Landmark US study reveals sewage sludge and wastewater plants tied to Pfas pollution
Sewage sludge and wastewater treatment plants are major sources of Pfas water pollution, new research finds, raising questions about whether the US is safely managing its waste. A first-of-its-kind study tested rivers bordering 32 sewage sludge sites, including wastewater treatment plants and fields where the substance is spread as fertilizer – it found concerning levels of Pfas around all but one. The study is the first to sample water up- and downstream from sites, and to test around the country. It found the levels downstream were higher for at least one Pfas compound 95% of the time, suggesting that the sludge sites are behind the increased pollution levels. 'We have an indication of very widespread problems and significant exposures that people are going to be facing,' said Kelly Hunter Foster, an environmental attorney with the Waterkeeper Alliance, which conducted the study. Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds that are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity. Sludge is a mix of human and industrial waste that is a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. Its disposal is expensive, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows it to be spread on cropland as 'biosolid' fertilizer because it is also rich in plant nutrients. But public health advocates have blasted the practice because the nation spends billions of dollars annually treating water only to take the toxic byproduct, insert it into the food supply and re-pollute water. Wastewater treatment plants' effluent, or allegedly clean water that they spit back into water systems, often contain high levels of Pfas. Most of the levels far exceeded the EPA's draft guidance for Pfas in surface waters, which is as low as 0.0009 parts per trillion for PFOA, one of the most common and dangerous types of compounds. The authors looked at water in 19 states, and found the highest levels in Detroit's Rouge River, which showed 44ppt of PFOA; North Carolina's Haw River; South Carolina's Pocotaligo River and Maryland's Potomac River. The largest increase around a wastewater plant was found in the Rouge River, where Detroit's mammoth facility spits Pfas-tainted effluent. The chemicals' levels jumped by 146% to about 80ppt for all Pfas. The Pocotaligo, Haw, and Santa Ana River in southern California saw similar spikes. The largest increase around a field on which sewage sludge was spread was found in the Dragoon Creek near Spokane, Washington, where total Pfas levels jumped from about 0.63 ppt to about 33ppt, an increase of over 5,100%. The EPA has long resisted calls to ban the spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural fields, though a 2024 lawsuit that alleges Clean Water Act violations could force some regulatory action. The Trump administration has scrapped the rulemaking process for industrial discharges of Pfas that Joe Biden's EPA began. That would have forced treatment plants to rein in their pollution.
