Trump EPA departs from Biden-era report detailing cancer risk from ‘forever chemical’ contaminated farms

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The Trump administration is apparently departing from a landmark Biden-era report that detailed human health risks including cancer from farms contaminated with “forever chemicals.”

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week issued a draft guidance document criticizing a draft Biden administration risk assessment detailing health hazards from applying contaminated sludge to farmland.

The Biden-era assessment detailed the risks posed by forever chemicals that are spread across farmland in a type of fertilizer known as “sewage sludge.”

If finalized, it could have laid the groundwork for eventual restrictions on the practice of applying contaminated sludge to farmland.

However, the Trump document, from EPA water chief Jessica Kramer, said that the Biden-era assessment “exhibited a number of serious flaws that have caused confusion.”

Kramer wrote that the agency failed to conduct a national survey of the chemicals in question.

She also said that the Biden administration “only evaluated sewage sludge management practices with higher potential for human health risk” saying this does “not reflect the majority” of actual uses.

Kramer, in her document, offered “voluntary recommendations for potential ways to mitigate risks” posed by the chemicals.

Critics of the Trump move say that the administration is walking away from regulating and its duty to protect the public from “forever chemicals” which are also known as PFAS.

“This guidance document completely fails to address the risk to human health and the environment from PFAS-contaminated sludge and the reality is that sewage sludge has been spread on millions of acres of farmland nationwide, harming people across the country by exposing them to PFAS in soil, water, crops, meat, fish, dust, et cetera,” said Erica Kyzmir-McKeon, director of communities and toxics at the Conservation Law Foundation.

“With this guidance document, they have made clear that they have no intention of regulating PFAS and sludge, and that they are going to continue to allow PFAS contaminated sludge to be spread on farmland throughout the country,” she added.

However, Kramer, in a written statement, said that her guidance document “will provide Americans with commonsense recommendations that can protect public health, while also supporting wastewater systems and beneficial use of biosolids [sewage sludge] when appropriate.”

PFAS are the name of a family of chemicals that are known for their waterproof and stain resistant properties. They’re a family of thousands of chemicals, but the documents in question pertain to two of the most well-studied and highly toxic PFAS, called PFOA and PFOS.

Some farms have become contaminated with forever chemicals through the land application of sewage sludge containing PFAs — a byproduct that comes from treating wastewater produced by households and businesses.

This sludge has been applied to some farms as fertilizer, and when it contained PFAS, it led to those chemicals being spread as well.

The Biden-era document, issued during the final days of the administration, said that under certain conditions, applying contaminated sludge to land could cause unacceptable risks of cancer and other health effects.

In particular, it detailed potential risks from drinking milk and eating beef or eggs from contaminated farms. It also found possible risk from drinking water sourced from contaminated groundwater or eating fish from a lake affected by farm runoff.

Kyzmir-McKeon said that states are taking actions like banning the use of sewage sludge and or limiting the levels of PFAS that can be in sludge — which could be replicated at the federal level.

Kramer’s document also outlined steps that states have taken, including bans, but she noted that they are “presented to illustrate options that some states have considered and implemented, and they should not be interpreted as the EPA’s endorsement of these actions.”

Kramer, in the new document, recommended that farmers avoid using sewage sludge near sources of drinking water or fishing and avoiding applying sludge to land that may have high risks for human exposure. She said that wastewater treatment plants should consider monitoring for PFAS in sewage sludge and adding liners to areas where it disposes of the sludge.

Kramer also noted that about 20 percent of sludge is sold directly to the general public or applied to areas that regular people are exposed to. She said that the general public should research suppliers and not use sludge when cultivating high risk foods like leafy greens and root vegetables — and where egg laying hens have access.

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