The sewage sludge some farmers have applied to their fields for decades is contaminated with PFAS—with serious consequences for drinking water.

It follows reports the sewage sludge contains “forever chemicals” microplastics and pharmaceuticals.

In comments to the U.S. EPA, Beyond Pesticides condemned the agency for failing to protect public health and the environment from sewage sludge (biosolids) fertilizer contaminated with toxicants including persistent “forever chemicals,” PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). While warning the public to protect itself from PFAS contaminants, EPA released what itself calls “non-binding or voluntary recommendations for how to mitigate risks.” The toxic biosolids fertilizer is used in food production, in gardens, and on playing fields. A public comment period is open through October 5,...

Make your voice heard with River Action's no-nonsense, question-by-question guidance for responding to the Government’s Sewage Sludge Consultation.

📣 Tell EPA and Congress to eliminate exposure to PFAS through sewage sludge! Comments to EPA close on September 4, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET. #TakeAction

A developer wanted to build a facility to capture carbon. Locals saw an environmental menace.

(Beyond Pesticides, August 3, 2026) A regulation proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with a comment period ending September 4, 2026, will allow sewage sludge, also called biodsolids, fertilizer use in agriculture and other land management to contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). The rule, if adopted, establishes voluntary, nonbinding guidance that is titled “Reducing Risk from PFOA and PFOS in Biosolids.” The failure to propose enforceable standards or ban the use of PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge/biosolids is occurring despite the agency’s recognition...

Make your voice heard with River Action's no-nonsense, question-by-question guidance for responding to the Government’s Sewage Sludge Consultation.

Levels of PFAS in sewage sludge used as fertilizer can pose risks that sometimes exceed safety thresholds “by several orders of magnitude,” the agency said.

Read Comment on PADEP’s Proposed Biosolid Permit Revisions and learn about PAG-07, PAG-08 and PAG-09 General Permits in question.

(Beyond Pesticides, July 24, 2023) Sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, is a byproduct of sewage treatment and is used as a source of organic matter for amending soil in nonorganic agriculture and landscaping. EPA has published a list of 726 chemicals found in biosolids in the National Sewage Sludge Surveys. This list does not include the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are emerging contaminants of biosolids. Tell your Governor and local officials to ban the use of biosolids in farms and parks, until there is adequate testing of toxic residues—which does not currently exist. In addition to PFAS (also referred to as “forever chemicals”), persistent toxic pollutants found in biosolids include: inorganic chemicals such as metals and trace elements; organic chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, dioxins, pharmaceuticals, and surfactants; and pathogens including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Regulation of biosolids by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been found by the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG), in its report EPA Unable to Assess the Impact of Hundreds of Unregulated Pollutants in Land-Applied Biosolids on Human Health and the Environment, to be inadequate. Lacking sufficient oversight at the federal level, action to protect health and the environment falls […]

92% of people in the UK think water companies should have responsibility for ensuring that sewage sludge on UK farmland is not contaminated.