Toxic “biosolids” have contaminated a fifth of US farmland

U.S. wastewater plants generate 14+ million tons of sewage sludge annually; since the 1980s it has been pushed onto fields as “biosolids,” despite rudimentary processing and virtually no testing for thousands of toxic constituents. PFAS in sludge persist, bioaccumulate, and are now tied to cancer, thyroid and immune disorders; EPA’s January 2025 draft risk assessment indicates a single application can elevate cancer and non-cancer risks for farm families.

Farms in Maine, Texas, Colorado, Michigan, and New Mexico have already been devastated — milk indemnities show PFAS contamination is a national problem — while states are beginning to ban or restrict land application.

This paper urges a national ban on land-applied sludge (or, at minimum, FDA bans on products from sludge-treated land), separation of industrial wastes from human wastes, and secure disposal to prevent further contamination.

Read and download the paper below: