Farmers Warn: Toxic Sludge Fertilizer Is Contaminating Our Food Supply

Farmers across the United States are sounding the alarm over a growing crisis in America’s food chain. Sewage sludge, rebranded as “biosolids” and used as fertilizer, is carrying toxic “forever chemicals” (PFAS) into the soil, crops, and livestock that sustain millions.

Once hailed as a sustainable recycling solution, this practice now threatens to contaminate the nation’s food supply with industrial pollutants that never break down.

The Sludge Problem No One Talks About

Every year, over one million tons of treated sewage waste, known as biosolids, are spread across U.S. farmland. Originally promoted as a nutrient-rich, low-cost fertilizer, sludge is a byproduct of wastewater treatment plants.

But it’s a chemical cocktail containing traces of everything flushed or dumped into municipal systems, from pharmaceuticals and industrial waste to household cleaners, according to the Center for Food Safety.

Farmers on the Front Lines

Virginia farmer Robb Hinton has refused to use biosolid fertilizers after learning about their contents. “All a farmer wants to do is grow a good, healthy crop,” he said, “but when something is injected into his world like this, it’s going to devastate him.”

Other farmers, like Maine’s Fred Stone, have seen their livelihoods destroyed—forced to euthanize cows and abandon land after discovering PFAS contamination hundreds of times higher than safety limits, as reported by Spotlight on America.

The Hidden Chemistry in Our Soil

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s draft risk assessment, sludge from wastewater plants often contains perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)—chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive disorders, and immune system damage. These “forever chemicals” resist natural breakdown, accumulating in soil and entering the food chain through crops, milk, and meat.

Widespread Exposure and Limited Oversight

The EPA estimates that sludge is applied on about one-fifth of all U.S. farmland, yet only a handful of states actively test biosolids for PFAS contamination. In Michigan, contamination levels have reached thousands of times above safety thresholds, and a Texas county has declared a state of emergency over PFAS pollution from agricultural sludge.

A CNN report also notes that while most Americans’ food is considered safe, those who consume milk or beef from sludge-treated farms face elevated long-term risks.

The “Recycling” Myth

The Center for Food Safety warns that labeling sludge as a green, circular solution is misleading. It may keep waste out of landfills, but it transfers contaminants directly into the food system.

The practice began in the 1990s as a cost-saving measure for wastewater utilities, transforming waste management into a farming issue. Critics argue that the EPA’s current monitoring of only a few pathogens and metals is dangerously outdated for today’s chemical realities.

Farmers Demand Action

Many farmers are calling on the federal government to tighten testing, improve labeling, and ban biosolids on food crops until safety is proven. “We’re not saying shut this whole thing down,” said Hinton.

“Just regulate it. Educate the people affected and do your job.” Yet, according to The National Desk, congressional efforts to investigate the issue have stalled amid lobbying and political division.

EPA’s Response and Scientific Progress

The EPA’s 2025 draft assessment represents the agency’s first major acknowledgment of the threat PFAS-laden sludge poses to public health. The report warns that contaminated food and milk may carry long-term cancer risks.

However, no national PFAS standards for biosolids have yet been implemented, leaving oversight largely to the states.

Consumer Awareness and the Path Forward

Consumers have little way of knowing whether their food was grown in sludge-treated soil. The Center for Food Safety urges people to support farms that avoid biosolid fertilizers, buy organic produce, and push for label transparency.

Some states, including Maine and Colorado, are now exploring bans on sludge use in agriculture as public pressure grows.

A Toxic Legacy Beneath Our Feet

What began as a well-intentioned recycling solution has become one of the most overlooked contamination crises in modern agriculture. Farmers are left to balance livelihoods against invisible chemical risks, while regulators race to catch up with science.

The sludge beneath our fields is more than a byproduct—it’s a warning that our pursuit of “efficiency” must never outweigh the need for safety in the food we grow, eat, and trust.