The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is promoting a ticking time bomb for public health and the environment. For decades, the EPA has
encouraged the use of "sewage sludge" - a byproduct of wastewater treatment - as fertilizer for farmlands across the United States.
But this sludge isn't innocuous.
It's laced with toxic "forever chemicals" known as PFAS that poison our soil, water, food, and bodies. Despite this, the EPA continues to encourage the practice to this day -
without requiring any PFAS testing. This is a reckless endangerment of millions of Americans' lives.
Sign the petition now to demand that the EPA stop promoting the use of sewage sludge, and instead ban it and mandate regular PFAS testing for fertilizers!PFAS are virtually indestructible, linked to devastating health impacts like cancer, birth defects, and immune system disorders.
Shockingly, the EPA has known about this contamination since 2003, when giant chemical corporation 3M revealed research that showed alarming levels of PFAS in sewage sludge. Additionally, scientists within the EPA have been ringing alarm bells for years due to studies revealing elevated levels of PFAS in wastewater and sludge fertilizer.
PFAS chemicals from sewage sludge wind up
absorbed into soil, crops, and groundwater, creating a never-ending cycle of contamination. This means that food produced in the U.S. and also water are at risk. PFAS has been detected in milk and crops produced on treated land, and the chemicals can't be removed once they infiltrate the food chain.
Strangely, the EPA is ignoring its own warnings. Despite otherwise designating certain PFAS as hazardous and stating there's "no safe level" of exposure, the EPA still hasn't banned this dangerous practice when it comes to fertilizers. How does that make sense?
The EPA has a duty to protect the environment and, by association, public health. Why is it overlooking this important mandate?
Sign this petition to demand the EPA immediately ban the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer, and mandate nationwide testing for PFAS in all sludge and farmland!