“Going Green” with Biosolid Fertilizer Poses Health Risks

“It smells like money!” If you grew up in agriculture, we don’t have to explain this timeless phrase to you.

But “it smells like PFAS” is probably a new one for you. 

ICYMI: Sewage sludge (yes, we’re talking about human sewage sludge) has been used as a fertilizer in various parts of the nation for more than 20 years. But PFAS chemical manufacturer 3M has warned the EPA about PFAS in sludge since 2003—and the EPA hasn’t done anything to stop the spread (of sludge).

What are PFAS? PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, aka “forever chemicals.” They take many, many years to break down in soils.

Now, recent test results from Johnson County, Texas, have found PFAS posing an “immediate threat” to farms, drinking water, and public health after residents started seeing many animals die for no clear reason. 

Sludge usage is on the rise: In 2023, 4.5B pounds of sludge were applied to farmland and used as compost for gardens and landscaping. Sludge has been seen as an eco-friendly way to go green and reuse municipal waste. In 2018 alone, more than 2M dry tons of biosolids were applied to U.S. farmland. Treated municipal sewage and treated sewage from basic manufacturing facilities are the largest contributors to this fertilizer category.

The proof is in the pudding PFAS: Going green sounds all fine and dandy until livestock are dying, ponds are full of dead fish, the air smells rancid, and even well water is found to contain PFAS.

Kind of a big deal: PFAS have been linked to low birth weight, liver disease, and certain types of cancers. And you don’t have to go out of your way to find these chemicals. Nonstick cookware, grease-resistant food packaging, carpet fibers, and even cosmetics can contain them and contribute to wastewater that turns to sludge—and can end up on farmland near you.

Soundbite: “The more we allow these biosolids to spread, and the more we allow this to continue without cleaning it up, or at least attempting to clean it up, is just sentencing the farmers of Texas to decades of unusable land, inedible meat, milk, fish, dairy.” — Kyla Bennett, Public Employes for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)

Need a visual? Click here to see how sewage sludge makes its way from wastewater treatment facilities to farms.