Autumn Landscape, Luray. Image Credit: Chris Anderson

For decades, farmers have relied on sewage sludge from municipal sewage plants as a source of valuable nutrients for their farmland.  

However, more farmers are now discovering that the sewage sludge they’ve been applying on their agricultural lands is contaminated with PFAS—a toxic pollutant that takes decades to break down naturally and is not removed during treatment.

An increasing number of farms that have used land-applied sewage sludge are found to be contaminated with PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are often called “forever chemicals” because they do not break down easily and instead build up and persist in our bodies, soil, water, and wildlife. PFAS can enter our bodies through the water we drink and the food we eat. PFAS, even at very low levels, can cause significant human health harms, including cancers, impacts to the heart and the liver, developmental harm to infants and children, and reduced immune function.

PFAS enters farmlands through contaminated sewage sludge applied on the soil. Crops grown in contaminated farmlands absorb the toxic pollutants, passing them into the produce we consume, which then enters and contaminates our bodies. Even worse, PFAS persists in the soil. PFAS-contaminated farmlands will take years to remove the chemicals, making the land unusable and forcing farms to shut down, as seen in recent cases in Maine and Michigan.

These contaminated farmlands also feed livestock, like cows and chickens. Animals that consume plants from contaminated soil absorb PFAS, becoming contaminated themselves and also contaminating livestock products, such as milk, eggs, and meat. People who consume contaminated food crops or livestock products also ingest PFAS, further increasing their exposure.

Application Areas of Land-Applied Sewage Sludge in Virginia. Image Credit: Allegheny Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA)

A 2022 study by the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA) identified at least 9,600 sites in Virginia where sewage sludge has been applied to land, though the actual number may be higher. In Virginia, the application of land-applied sewage sludge is currently managed by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). 

DEQ is responsible for protecting Virginia from pollution and has the authority to require testing for PFAS. However, DEQ does not require municipal sewage plants to test their sewage sludge, allowing them to do so voluntarily. This has resulted in a lack of public information on PFAS levels in sewage sludge, limiting farmers’ ability to prevent toxic contamination on their farmlands. As Betsy Nicholas, Potomac Riverkeeper Network’s Vice President of Programs and Litigation of Potomac Riverkeeper Network, states, “We need to be looking at what’s in these biosolids before we put them on farm fields.”

See what farmers, legislators, and environmental experts have to say about their experiences using sewage sludge on farmlands and the risks it poses to their businesses and local communities.