ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 26, 2025W
While the application of sewage sludge as a fertilizer on farmland has been happening for decades, opposition is mounting amid growing environmental concerns about potential pollution of groundwater from toxic chemicals in wastewater. Maine has banned the land application of sewage sludge, and Oklahoma is considering a similar ban. Many other states are more closely regulating the practice. One big concern is the human health risk from toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals because they don’t degrade in the environment. They’re linked to health issues such as low birth weight and liver disease along with certain types of cancers.