Twenty Million Acres Of Farmland May Be Totally Ruined….

An environmental group says 20 million acres of farmland in the U.S. may be tainted by dangerous chemicals in sewage sludge used as fertilizer.

A report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit dedicated to studying pollutants in agriculture and drinking water and advocating for corporate accountability, last month found that as many as 20 million acres of U.S. croplands may be contaminated by polyfluoroalkyl substances present in sewage sludge used as fertilizer.

“Toxic per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, known as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” are a family of more than 9,000 synthetic, human-made chemicals that barely break down in the natural environment, according to CHEM Trust.

PFAS are found in thousands of products, from disposable and fast-food packaging to popcorn bags, takeout containers, pre-made cakes, pizza boxes, and products like nonstick cookware, carpets, waterproof clothing, sunscreen, cosmetics, and mattresses, study shows.

Used to make water-resistant and heat-resistant products, these substances do not decompose quickly and are present in the soil, water, air, and the bodies of humans and animals, the FDA says.

According to the FDA, these substances contaminate foodstuffs, and accumulations of these in significant concentrations in our bodies will be detrimental to our health.

Owing to the use of PFAS in multiple industries, factories release these substances into sewer systems through industrial discharges.

PFAS make their way from factories to farmlands through sewage sludge recycled as fertilizer, contaminating the food reaching people’s plates.

Using state data, EWG estimates that 5 percent of all crop fields could be using sewage sludge, or biosolids, as a fertilizer, even though it’s often contaminated with PFAS. For example, Ohio found an estimated 5 percent of all cropland acres have been fertilized with sludge since 2011. There are no national requirements to test biosolids for the presence of PFAS or warn farmers they could be using contaminated sludge on their crops.

The EWG’s legislative policy director Scott Faber told the Guardian:

“We don’t know the full scope of the contamination problem created by PFAS in sludge, and we may never know, because [the Environmental Protection Agency] has not made it a priority for states and local governments to track, test and report on.”

PFAS are believed to be present in all sewage sludge.

Sewage sludge is a byproduct of wastewater treatment. During the process, solid wastes are separated from the liquid wastes, then processed and treated with bacteria that helps it to decompose. It can include household waste, pharmaceutical products, industrial waste, chemicals and metals, and PFAS.

More details of this report from Western Journal:

According to The Guardian, recent studies found that the chemical also contaminated crops, cattle, water and humans in farms where sludge was used as fertilizer.

Ohio possessed the most meticulous records on the application of sludge to farmland, The Guardian reported. Ohio records accessed by EWG showed that at least 5 percent of Ohio farmland since 2011 has had sludge applied to them, according to the newspaper.

Environmental Protection Agency records seen by the EWG revealed that in 41 states keeping track of sewage sludge application on farmland, over 19 billion pounds of sludge was used as fertilizer since 2016.

The figures through extrapolation suggest that around 20 million acres nationwide might be contaminated by some level of PFAS, according to the EWG, The Guardian reported.

Such widespread application of sewage sludge on farmland has not come without its consequences.

Several farms in Maine have been closed for PFAS contamination. Around 700 fields are under investigation, The Guardian reported.

In Michigan, the state suffers from similar problems as authorities find contaminated beef and farms with evidence tying PFAS-contaminated sludge to contamination in drinking water and other public health issues, according to The Guardian.

“There’s no easy way to shop around this problem,” Faber told the outlet. “We shouldn’t be using PFAS-contaminated sludge to grow food and feed for animals.”

“The EPA could today require treatment plants to test sludge for PFAS and warn farmers that they may be contaminating fields, but it has refused to do so,” Faber said.

Sources: WesternJournal, The Guardian

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