Trump officials kill proposed rules for Pfas-contaminated sewage fertilizer

Sludge at a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The proposed rules would largely have ended the use of such sludge, also called biosolids. Photograph: Jon G Fuller/VW Pics/Universal/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Sludge at a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The proposed rules would largely have ended the use of such sludge, also called biosolids. Photograph: Jon G Fuller/VW Pics/Universal/Getty Images Trump officials kill proposed rules for Pfas-contaminated sewage fertilizer EPA tosses out scientific research carried out under Biden and says toxic sludge not a significant threat to public The Trump administration has killed proposed regulations for sewage sludge contaminated with Pfas and spread on farmland as fertilizer, a practice that has sickened farmers , destroyed their livelihoods , killed livestock , polluted water supplies , and poisoned meat and food products sold to the public. The proposed regulations would largely have ended the use of sludge, also called biosolids , in the nation’s food system. But the Environmental Protection Agency tossed out its scientific research from less than two years ago that formed the basis of the proposed regulations. It justified the decision by declaring that sludge was not a wide threat to the public because it is mostly used on farms, and only a small percentage of cropland. However, in comments published to the federal register, the EPA also advised the US public to “research” sludge companies to protect itself from the highly toxic chemicals contaminating home fertilizer widely sold for use in home gardens. The decision is “a bit bonkers”, said Laura Dumais, an attorney with the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) non-profit. “It’s shocking for the EPA to take a scientific assessment and simply throw it out,” Dumais said. “Basically, they’re saying: farmers’ lives don’t matter.” Pfas are a class of about 16,000 compounds dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity. Sludge is a mix of human and industrial waste that is a byproduct of treating waste sent through the nation’s sewer system. Its disposal is expensive, and the EPA in the early 1990s began allowing it to be spread on cropland because it is also rich in plant nutrients. But public health advocates have condemned the practice because the nation spends billions of dollars annually to treat water, only to take the toxic byproduct, insert it into the food supply, and re-pollute water. Regulators in Maine and Michigan have found Pfas in every sample they have tested, as did a 2001 federal review of the nation’s sewage sludge. While biosolids can teem with any of 90,000 human-made chemicals, EPA rules currently only require monitoring for nine heavy metals. Peer has sued the EPA