Trump Administration Lifts Regulations on PFAS 'Forever Chemicals' Threatening Farmers
Key Points
- The Trump administration rescinded an environmental regulation that would have restricted PFAS chemicals in toxic sewage sludge.
- The EPA's new draft memorandum claims that the sludge does not pose a national-level threat to the food supply chain.
- According to research from two years ago, fertilizers containing more than 1 part per billion of PFAS pose a cancer risk for farmers and consumers.
- The EPA invited citizens to 'do their own research' and to avoid using these wastes in soils accessible to children.
By the Numbers
The Trump administration has eliminated a critical regulation aimed at restricting PFAS 'forever chemicals' in toxic sewage sludge and industrial waste sprayed onto agricultural lands. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a new draft memorandum, ignoring previous scientific research on the grounds that these substances do not pose a threat to public health.
The EPA's new draft claims that biosolids containing PFAS do not pose a widespread national threat in the food supply chain. However, according to the agency's own data, approximately 20 percent of managed sewage sludge is sold directly to the public or applied to areas accessible to the public. Research published less than two years ago, which revealed a cancer risk for farmers and consumers, has now been rescinded.
The decision has drawn severe backlash from public health advocates and environmental lawyers. The EPA, criticized for endangering its employees, advised citizens to 'do their own research' during this process and recommended not spreading these wastes onto soils that children might use as toys.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What exactly does this EPA decision change?
- The decision leads to the shelving of previous rules and scientific assessments that aimed to strictly regulate and restrict processed sewage sludge (biosolids) containing PFAS 'forever chemicals' used on agricultural lands.
- Who is most affected by the decision and how?
- Farmers and agricultural workers applying this practice are directly facing a cancer risk. Additionally, because about 20 percent of this waste sludge is sold directly to the public according to agency data, consumer health is also at risk.
- What is the public being guided to do following this decision?
- Instead of providing federal protection, the EPA advises citizens to research the supplier of the sewage sludge they purchase themselves and to avoid using this substance in soils where children may come into contact with it.
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