A new federal analysis reveals health risks from forever chemicals in sewage sludge used as fertilizer on farmland
Chicago: Farmers using sewage sludge as fertilizer, along with their neighbors, might be facing higher cancer risks. This comes from a new federal analysis that points to toxic forever chemicals.
In northeast Illinois, over 777,000 tons of sludge from Chicago and Cook County have been spread on farmland in the last eight years, often close to homes. That’s a lot of sludge!
Interestingly, only the Greater Los Angeles area has spread more sludge to farmers during this time. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago has known about the contamination since at least 2013, according to a 2022 investigation.
Despite this, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t regulate these forever chemicals in sludge fertilizer. They keep promoting the use of this contaminated sludge on farms without any limits on PFAS levels.
However, this might change with the EPA’s new draft risk assessment. Forever chemicals have been around for decades, used in things like firefighting foam and nonstick cookware.
When waste is flushed into sewers, regular treatment doesn’t filter out PFAS. Instead, it ends up concentrating these chemicals in the sludge.
Researchers are worried because some PFAS can build up in our blood and take years to leave the body. They don’t break down in the environment either, which means crops grown in this sludge could be contaminated for a long time.
Long-term exposure to even tiny amounts of certain PFAS can lead to serious health issues like testicular and kidney cancer, birth defects, and liver damage. There are also concerns about links to breast cancer and other diseases.
This story is still developing, so stay tuned for updates!
