Maine farmer, Fred Stone, lost his livelihood after he says he had to euthanize most of his herd of dairy cows because of the levels of PFAS in their milk.
by LISA FLETCHER, ANDREA NEJMAN & NATHAN AARON | SPOTLIGHT ON AMERICA
WASHINGTON (SOA) — America’s farmland may be facing a growing contamination crisis — one that farmers, environmental groups, and some lawmakers now say can no longer be ignored.
What was once considered a safe, low-cost fertilizer is now being linked to dead livestock, lost livelihoods, and families caught in the fallout of toxic “forever chemicals” spreading through agricultural land. It’s a story we’ve been following for years – that’s coming to a head in states that are dealing with the fallout of toxic PFAS.
“This should have been taken care of decades ago,” said attorney Laura Dumais, as she explained to me some of the nuanced language being used by the EPA to shield itself from responsibility for regulating PFAS. For years, farmers across the country have spread biosolid sludge — made from treated human waste — on their fields. The material was promoted as fertilizer. But mounting evidence shows it can contain dangerous levels of PFAS, a class of chemicals tied to cancer, reproductive harm, and developmental problems in children.
This past year, our series of investigations into PFAS contamination in farmland and food systems has examined how chemicals in sludge can move from soil to animals, food, and people.
Dumais, with the advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, or PEER, is leading a lawsuit accusing the Environmental Protection Agency of failing to protect farmers in Texas who say PFAS contamination destroyed their farms.
The allegations echo what happened in Maine, where farmer Fred Stone says he unknowingly poisoned his family — and lost both his livestock and livelihood — after PFAS-contaminated sludge was spread on his land.
“This is as real as it gets, folks,” said Stone as he stood inside a near-empty barn on his family farm.
Stone says the PFAS-contaminated sludge that he spread on his farm destroyed the life he built for his family. State testing found PFAS levels on his farm so high that he was forced to shut down operations, leaving him unable to sell his milk or continue farming.
