Trump officials kill proposed rules for Pfas-contaminated sewage fertilizer
Summary
The EPA under President Donald Trump decided not to enforce new rules to limit toxic PFAS chemicals in sewage sludge used as fertilizer on farms. This sludge contains harmful “forever chemicals” linked to serious health problems, but the EPA said the risk to the public is small because the sludge is mainly used on only a small part of farmland.Key Facts
- The Trump administration canceled proposed regulations limiting PFAS contamination in sewage sludge used as fertilizer.
- PFAS are a group of about 16,000 chemicals that do not break down and can cause cancer, liver and kidney disease, and other health issues.
- Sewage sludge is treated human and industrial waste spread on cropland because it has plant nutrients but also contains many toxic chemicals.
- The EPA rejected its own recent scientific findings that showed careful limits on PFAS levels were needed to protect farmers and communities.
- Some states like Maine and Michigan have found PFAS in every sludge sample they tested.
- The proposed EPA rules would have set a safety limit of 1 part per billion PFAS in sludge to reduce health risks.
- Farmers, environmental groups, and legal advocates say the decision harms rural families and ignores scientific evidence.
- Current EPA rules monitor only nine heavy metals in sludge, not PFAS chemicals.
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