BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 24, 2024
Most Maine farms affected by fertilizer sludge containing forever chemicals remain in production, members of the state fund charged with aiding them said on Thursday. Farmers can use fields for different crops that do not take up the contaminants as readily or plant less resilient crops in fields not treated with forever chemicals, they said. Those chemicals were contained in sludge that was spread commonly as fertilizer in the 1990s and 2000s. PFAS, which does not readily break down in the environment, has been linked to health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression and cancer when ingested.