# Another Concern with Biosolids



## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

If you are using, have used, or are thinking of using biosolids, you need to read up on PFAS, “forever chemicals”. They are showing up in fields that biosolids have been applied. They don’t go away. It’s probably only a matter of time before we will be routinely testing for them. Right now it’s likely to impact organic producers the most but who kn what will happen down the line


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## SunHeart (Apr 18, 2021)

Significant testing has been going on in Maine and I know farmers who have had their cow herds and milk contaminated from purchased in feed. They had not spread any sludge, nor had sludge been spread at there farm, but whoever they got their hay from did. They ended up just killing them all, couldn't be used for meat either. They did extensive testing to figure out the source to make sure it wasn't their land, which cost a lot of money ($500 for each test or something, and tehre were a lot of things to test.) Imagine if your land was then basically 'worthless', unless you hid that you were feeding PFAS to others peoples animals and then indirectly to other people.

Here's an article that gives a picture: Arundel farmer denied aid in ‘forever chemicals’ nightmare


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

That's interesting. I was not aware of PFAS. I read the government publication from the CDC. I would strongly suggest to everyone when they send in soil samples to not send them to a University or Governmental agency. As they could test your farm for these agents and could ruin you. It is highly unlikely that one will consume enough of this "forever " chemical to cause health harm according to information from the CDC. According to the CDC this chemical already shows to be widespread in the current population. Probably due to the fact that it is used in the clothing industry and the cooking utensil industry(non-stick pans).





Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) Factsheet | National Biomonitoring Program | CDC


CDC’s Division of Laboratory Sciences coordinates the National Biomonitoring Program (NBP) which offers an assessment of nutritional status and the exposure of the U.S. population to environmental chemicals and toxic substances.




www.cdc.gov





Regards, Mike


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Vol said:


> That's interesting. I was not aware of PFAS. I read the government publication from the CDC. I would strongly suggest to everyone when they send in soil samples to not send them to a University or Governmental agency. As they could test your farm for these agents and could ruin you. It is highly unlikely that one will consume enough of this "forever " chemical to cause health harm according to information from the CDC. According to the CDC this chemical already shows to be widespread in the current population. Probably due to the fact that it is used in the clothing industry and the cooking utensil industry(non-stick pans).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


yeah, everyone who has ever eaten a meal cooked in a non-stick pan probably has a measurable amount in their system. I got the full monty when running a landfill with groundwater sampling and monitoring. If a lab detected that that something non-naturally occurring was in the sample even though they could not quantify it, you were on a path because you must have put it there. Lots like jousting at windmills. Don't get me wrong, I am not against sampling and bonified remediation but there is something called a matter of scale and we (the royal we) often miss that point entirely.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

If you live near a military airbase or large airport you will have issues as well. AFFF foams have had them in them and tended to pollute the areas foam was used. Been a 20 year long issue in the fire protection world. Industry didn't help, when the first chemicals were controlled, they made chemically very similar ones that were not regulated.

Edit - I've designed multiple foam systems in my career for very high hazard petrochemical areas, hangars, nuke plants, tank farms etc but I push extremely hard for clients to avoid any foam if at all possible now.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

slowzuki said:


> If you live near a military airbase or large airport you will have issues as well. AFFF foams have had them in them and tended to pollute the areas foam was used. Been a 20 year long issue in the fire protection world. Industry didn't help, when the first chemicals were controlled, they made chemically very similar ones that were not regulated.
> 
> Edit - I've designed multiple foam systems in my career for very high hazard petrochemical areas, hangars, nuke plants, tank farms etc but I push extremely hard for clients to avoid any foam if at all possible now.


Yep, I remember being in a meeting with a State Water Control Board official on a case involving a solid waste facility next to Dulles airport. He wouldn’t do testing upstream of the facility all of which washed off the runways. There was nothing he could do with the polluted runoff from the airport


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## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

A number of my wells and groundwater in my area are unusable now thanks to PFAS contamination. Fortunately our well is still safe.


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