America’s farmland is a dumping ground. Industrial food waste and sewage sludge are being spread on millions of acres nationwide. Some call it free fertilizer, rich in nutrients. Others say the practice should be halted due to threats from emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals, microplastics and the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. Farmers in Maine, Michigan and Texas have seen their farmland ruined by PFAS chemicals, which are linked to several types of cancer and other health effects. Rural residents in Missouri, Alabama and elsewhere have been plagued by flies, noxious smells and runoff from raw slaughterhouse waste spread near their homes.
“Every single state where these biosolids are spread, it’s going to end up contaminating the land, the food supply and the water,” said Kyla Bennett, director of science policy for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an environmental advocacy group. “They should not be land-applied, full stop …The short-term solution is to just say no. Don’t spread this stuff on land, particularly on farms.”
