The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has replaced a draft scientific assessment that warned of potential health risks from PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’, in sewage sludge. The original 272-page draft risk assessment concluded that land application of biosolids containing PFAS could create health risks for people who rely on contaminated farmland for food and drinking water.
Background on PFAS
PFAS are a class of man-made chemicals linked to increased risks of certain cancers, immune system effects, and other health problems. Because they break down very slowly, they can persist in water, soil, and the human body for years. The latest dispute centers on biosolids — the nutrient-rich material left over after wastewater is treated. Many wastewater treatment plants recycle those biosolids by applying them to farmland as fertilizer.
Testing has found PFAS can accumulate in biosolids because conventional wastewater treatment does not remove the chemicals. North Carolina officials found PFOS, one of the most studied PFAS compounds, in 85% of biosolids samples and in every soil sample collected from fields where sludge had been repeatedly applied.
EPA’s New Guidance
Instead of finalizing the original assessment, EPA released a nine-page draft guidance document and opened a 60-day public comment period. The agency said the earlier assessment relied on assumptions that ‘didn’t reflect real-world conditions closely enough’ and pointed to concerns raised during public comments about the risk modeling, the use of data from heavily contaminated industrial sites, and what it described as simplified calculations.
The new guidance still recommends avoiding land application of biosolids near waterways, on land where children play, and on crops with higher potential for human exposure. Jean Zhuang, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said the draft assessment synthesized decades of scientific research and found serious risks to farming families and rural communities.
‘Instead of engaging with that science, EPA is trying to downplay the problem,’ she said. Zhuang said the earlier assessment could have helped states strengthen protections against PFAS contamination. ‘When the science is there, states can act to protect communities,’ she said. ‘By abandoning that assessment, this administration is getting in the way of protecting people from toxic chemical contamination.’
Original reporting: WRAL Raleigh — read the source article.
