Portland nonprofit calls for action on PFAS-contaminated sludge spread on farmland
Courtesy / Environmental Health Strategy Center
Michael Belliveau, executive director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center in Portland, has asked a U.S. Senate committee to investigate “the potential for widespread PFAS contamination of farmland, agricultural products such as milk, and drinking water resulting from the spreading of sewage sludge to land as a fertilizer, a common practice in all 50 states.”
The Portland-based Environmental Health Strategy Center is asking the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to examine the federal response to risks associated with toxic PFAS chemicals (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in sewage sludge that for decades has been spread as fertilizer on farmland.
Used in a range of consumer products, including fast food packaging, nonstick pans, waterproof clothing and stain-resistant carpets, PFAS chemicals have been linked to several types of cancer, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, low birthweight, decreased fertility and diminished immune systems, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
In a March 25 letter to the committee, Michael Belliveau, the nonprofit’s executive director, cited “the potential for widespread PFAS contamination of farmland, agricultural products such as milk, and drinking water resulting from the spreading of sewage sludge to land as a fertilizer, a common practice in all 50 states.”
Belliiveau’s letter was submitted in advance of the committee’s public hearing today on risks of PFAS contamination.
In his letter, Belliveau cited last week’s disclosure by an Arundel dairy farmer whose milk can no longer be sold due to contamination by PFAS chemicals in sludge that had been spread as a fertilizer in his hayfields from the late 1980s until 2004.
As reported by the Portland Press Herald on March 19, dairy farmer Fred Stone applied the sludge without knowledge that it was contaminated with PFAS. Two years ago he learned his dairy herd had PFAS levels up to seven times higher than the threshold for safe milk consumption and stopped selling his milk. Stone estimated his dairy farm is losing up to $450 per day due to his continued inability to sell milk from his herd.
The newspaper also reported that the Kennebunkport, Kennebunk and Wells Water District has had to install a filter on a well on Stone’s land that supplies water for public consumption.
‘Serious implications’
Given what he characterized as “serious implications” of potential PFAS contamination of farmland public health and the environment, Belliveau asked the Senate committee to require federal agencies to answer the following questions:
- Are farmlands where sludge was spread in the past being tested for PFAS, and if not, how can you best ensure that such testing takes place in a timely manner?
- Since dairy farms may be uniquely vulnerable to PFAS in sludge, what assurance can be provided that the cow’s milk from dairies is being screened for PFAS?
- What standards exist to limit PFAS in sludge intended for land application, and to what extent is current sludge generation in compliance with those standards?
- What affect does composting of sewage sludge containing PFAS, and distribution of that compost, have on the fate and transport of PFAS in the environment?
- What are federal agencies doing to protect America’s food supply and drinking water from PFAS pollution associated with sludge spreading on the land?
Belliveau noted that sludge spreading has been common since the 1970s, but investigation of potential PFAS contamination has been practiced in earnest less than five years.
“That leads to two very serious and plausible concerns,” he wrote. “Serious PFAS pollution may be lurking undiscovered beneath farmlands where sludge has been spread in the past; and future sludge spreading may cause additional PFAS pollution unless it’s tested first and shown to contain PFAS at levels below regulatory concern.”
Maine DEP takes action
Three days after the Arundel dairy farmer’s disclosures, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection announced new state testing requirements for all sludge before it can be used as a fertilizer or applied to land.
"The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is committed to addressing the issue of PFAS contamination in Maine and has been working to proactively identify areas of potential concern," Maine DEP Commissioner Jerry Reid said in Friday’s news release announcing the new requirements. "The Department is moving forward with the additional testing requirement to ensure that any future land applications of sludge are safe."
The DEP said it had immediately notified producers of sludge materials proposed for land application about the newly established test requirement, directing them “to prove that all the sludge is below regulatory levels before it can be applied.”
It also noted that Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order earlier this month creating a Governor's Task Force to mobilize state agencies and other stakeholders to review the prevalence of PFAS in Maine and put forward a plan to address it.
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