The Trump administration's decision to scrap proposed regulations on sewage sludge contaminated with 'forever chemicals' (PFAS) has sent shockwaves through the environmental community. The move effectively overturns previous scientific research conducted under the Biden administration, which had highlighted significant health risks associated with the practice of spreading biosolids on farmland as fertiliser.
The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) claim that the use of sludge does not pose a widespread threat to public health is at odds with overwhelming evidence. PFAS compounds, numbering around 16,000 and notorious for their persistence in the environment and human body, have been linked to severe health problems such as cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, and birth defects.
The discarded regulations were based on a draft health risk assessment from the Biden administration's final days. This research found that PFAS levels above 1 part per billion (ppb) in sludge increased cancer and other health risks for farmers. Given that most sludge samples contain PFAS levels exceeding this threshold, the proposed rules would have significantly curtailed the practice of spreading biosolids on agricultural land, effectively limiting its entry into the food system.
The EPA's advice to 'research' sludge companies to protect themselves from highly toxic chemicals found in home fertilisers has been widely criticised as confusing and inadequate. Laura Dumais, an attorney with the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) non-profit, described it as 'bonkers', stating that it was 'shocking for the EPA to take a scientific assessment and simply throw it out'.
The practice of using sewage sludge as fertiliser began in the early 1990s as a cost-effective disposal method, leveraging its rich plant nutrient content. However, public health advocates have long condemned this, arguing that it re-pollutes water and introduces toxic byproducts into the food supply. Research cited by the Southern Environmental Law Center highlighted a significantly increased risk for children consuming milk from farms where sludge with elevated PFOA levels was spread, with calculations suggesting a higher incidence of cancer and non-cancer health problems.