EPA report: Sewage sludge used as fertilizer contains ‘forever chemicals,’ putting health at risk for some
Sewage sludge, a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process, has been found to contaminate farmland and its products with "forever chemicals,” the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says in a draft risk assessment released Tuesday.
The semi-solid material, also known as biosolids, has been used on farmland for more than 40 years as a more cost-effective form of commercial fertilizer. In recent years, however, the practice has come under scrutiny due to the discovery of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). States like Maine and Connecticut have banned land application of biosolids.