in the sludge that it sold since it wasn’t the one who made it. PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are widely used synthetic chemicals that are dangerous to humans, animals, and the environment.Synagro has faced several lawsuits over its PFAS-laced sludge, which has contaminated residential areas and farmlands. Ranchers in Johnson County, Texas, filed a lawsuit this year against the waste recycling company for damages caused by a neighboring farm’s use of sludge fertilizer.
The contamination of PFAS in sewage sludge has been a known problem since the 1990s, but the government continues to promote sewage sludge as a safe option for fertilizer, and farmers have obtained permits to use sewage sludge on nearly 70 million acres — about a fifth of America’s agricultural land. The Environmental Protection Agency has said there is no safe level of PFAS.they are experiencing difficulty finding landfills to accept their sludge due to their fears of the contaminants.