‘Forever chemicals’ in sludge used to fertilize farms can pose a health risk to people, EPA says

By Jen Christensen | CNN | January 14, 2025

Read the full article by Jen Christensen (CNN)

"Chemicals found in sewage sludge that some farmers use to fertilize fields and pastures can pose a threat to human and animal health, the US Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

Exposure to food from farms that use the sewage sludge can raise a person’s risk of developing cancer or other health conditions, it said. Under certain conditions, the human health risks from sludge used on farms are “several orders of magnitude” above what the EPA considers acceptable, the agency said.

While the EPA said Tuesday that the general food supply is not at risk, these “forever chemicals,” as they are sometimes called, can pose a threat to the health of people who drink a lot of milk or eat beef from farms that use the sludge."

This content provided by the PFAS Project.