In the last days of the Biden Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the start of a project it should have finished before Trump took office: determining the health risks of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in sewage sludge disposed of on farmland. Biden’s EPA found that these toxic “forever chemicals” can cause cancer and other diseases in people who live near farm fields where sludge is spread-or those who consume tainted milk, beef, or other foods from these farms–including kidney and liver cancers, decreased birth weight, increased cholesterol, and diminished immune system function.
How likely is Trump's EPA to finalize these findings?
Trump's EPA has already decided to “rescind” and “reconsider” regulatory limits on PFAS in drinking water. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are trying to stop the EPA's health risks determination. The House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee included a policy rider in their fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill, Section 507, that would permanently prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing its Draft Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS in Sewage Sludge.
TAKE ACTION BY AUGUST 14: Tell the EPA to Ban Toxic Sludge from Farmland!
Biden's EPA found that PFAS in sewage sludge dumped on farmland causes kidney and liver cancers, decreased birth weight, increased cholesterol, and diminished immune system function.
The EPA found that PFOA and PFOS are associated with numerous adverse health effects, including several types of cancer. According to the EPA, exposure is likely to cause liver, immunological, cardiovascular, and developmental effects in humans. PFOA and PFOS:
- Harm the liver by causing liver necrosis, inflammation, and injury.
- Damage the immune system. When exposed to PFOA and PFOS, children vaccinated against tetanus, diphtheria, and rubella showed a decreased antibody response. Immunotoxicity has been observed in rodents who experienced changes to their spleen and thymus when exposed to PFOA and PFOS. The spleen and thymus are the immune system's most vital organs. The spleen produces lymphocytes and antibodies, while the thymus makes T lymphocytes (T cells), which are essential for adaptive immunity.
- Harm heart health by increasing cholesterol levels.
- Interrupt healthy development. Exposure to PFOA and PFOS is associated with decreased birth weight in human infants. In animals, decreased offspring survival, decreased fetal and pup weight, delayed time to eye opening, and related pre- and post-natal effects have been observed.
The EPA found PFOA and PFOS are Likely to Be Carcinogenic to Humans. For PFOA, the EPA found epidemiological evidence of kidney, testicular, and breast cancer in humans. Liver, testicular, pancreatic, and kidney tumorigenesis is also associated with PFOA exposure in human and animal models. For PFOS, the EPA found epidemiological evidence of bladder, prostate, liver, kidney, and breast cancers in humans. PFOS-exposed rats had liver cell tumors, pancreatic cell tumors, thyroid cell tumors, and multi-site tumorigenesis (liver and pancreas).
This is remarkable, because the Biden EPA's risk assessment was structured to underestimate the health harms of toxic sludge. As the Coalition for Sludge-Free Land has pointed out, the EPA didn't consider:
-
Higher real-world PFAS concentrations;
-
Repeated land applications;
-
Long-term exposure, especially for children;
-
All of the 23 PFAS chemicals the EPA has detected in sewage sludge, not just PFOA and PFOS; or
-
Precursor degradation and mixture toxicity.
According to the Center for Food Safety, the EPA assumed sludge contains far lower levels of the two PFAS than tests show it does, it only looked at exposure from one source at a time (water, milk, beef, eggs, or fish) rather than combined dietary exposure, and it modeled only average exposure rather than looking at the highest levels people in sewage-sludge hotspots are exposed to.
And, yet, even with all the downplaying and underestimation, it still found that PFAS in sewage sludge dumped on farmland causes kidney and liver cancers, decreased birth weight, increased cholesterol, and diminished immune system function! That's terrifying.
TAKE ACTION BY AUGUST 14: Tell the EPA to Ban Toxic Sludge from Farmland!
Sign the Petition
PETITION TO THE EPA
Toxic sewage sludge, contaminated with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also known as "forever chemicals," should be banned from farmland and disposed of as toxic waste, not dumped into our environment where it can contaminate our food and water.
The Draft Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS in Sewage Sludge underestimated the human health harms.
The EPA's model assumed sludge contains far lower levels of the two PFAS chemicals than tests show it does. The EPA only looked at exposure from one source at a time (water, milk, beef, eggs, and fish) rather than combined dietary exposure. And, the EPA's data was limited to average exposure rather than looking at the high levels people in PFAS hotspots are exposed to.
And, yet, the EPA still found that PFAS in sewage sludge dumped on farmland causes kidney and liver cancers, decreased birth weight, increased cholesterol, and diminished immune function.
This is terrifying and it speaks to how urgently the health threat of PFAS must be addressed. PFAS-contaminated toxic sludge should never be disposed of on farmland. More importantly, the EPA should stop the pollution at its source by banning the use of fire-retardant, non-stick, and water-resistant PFAS chemicals. PFAS chemicals shouldn't be used, not in consumer products, manufacturing, aviation, the military, or in any other way.
Please continue your work on PFAS chemicals, with the aim of protecting human health from every harmful forever chemical.
Thank you.