WASHINGTON—After abandoning its own scientific findings about the dangers of PFAS contaminated sewage sludge used as fertilizer, EPA is now downplaying the risks and leaving farming families and communities exposed, the Southern Environmental Law Center said in comments submitted to EPA regarding the watered-down guidance proposed by the agency to replace a risk assessment.
“EPA seems more concerned that people learned about the dangers of PFAS-contaminated sludge than about the contamination itself,” said Kelly Moser, senior attorney and leader of the Water Program at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “EPA’s weak guidance does not protect people from PFAS contamination. It leaves farmers and communities to fend for themselves while shifting responsibility away from the industries responsible for this toxic pollution.”
The growing body of evidence from farming communities across the country shows that PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge can contaminate soil, crops, livestock, and drinking water. The Southern Environmental Law Center said a responsible response to the growing evidence of PFAS contamination should be for the EPA to strengthen and finalize the risk assessment, not shelve it and leave farming families and communities to bear the consequences.
