Over the past five months, Spectrum News investigated the use of sewage sludge — also known as biosolids — on farmland and efforts to ban it because it can be contaminated with cancer-causing “forever chemicals.”

Sewage sludge is the semi-solid byproduct at the end of the wastewater treatment process from sewer lines in homes and businesses. The material contains nutrient benefits for soil and crops.

But studies show that it also contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — more widely referred to as PFAS chemicals.

With the high cost of fertilizer and the ever-increasing demand for food, farmers turn to biosolids as a form of fertilizer.

Neighbors around one permitted site, however, want the practice banned after finding high levels of PFAS in their drinking water.

Here’s a summary of what our reporters Emily Kenny and Seth Voorhees found. You can read and watch the full report here.

It’s more common in New York than you may think

Sewage sludge has been used as fertilizer for more than four decades. Currently, New York ranks among the top five states using biosolids on land. About 13,000 dry tons of biosolids are spread over 33,000 acres of land annually across the state, which amounts to 21% of all biosolids produced, according to 2018 data from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The rest ends up in landfills or is incinerated.

Currently, there are 14 active permits in New York for landspreading biosolids,, located in rural parts of Western New York, Central New York, the Southern Tier and North Country. 

PFAS present serious health risks

There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, but there is little known about each of them. The Food and Drug Administration identifies eight that are of current concern to human health. 

Estimates from a draft risk assessment of PFOA and PFOS, two types of PFAS, in sewage sludge released by the EPA a few weeks ago found that those living on or near sites where biosolids have been spread and those who rely on products such as food crops, animal products or drinking water near those sites exceed the acceptable human health risk threshold set by the agency, sometimes by several orders of magnitude.

Current research suggests that exposure to PFAS can increase the risk of certain cancers, such as prostate, kidney and testicular, and have impacts on fertility and child development, according to the EPA. 

Steuben County residents Wayne Wells, Tim Hargrave and Eva Turner all have creeks running through their property that are contaminated with PFAS from a nearby landspreading operation. They believe cancer rates are higher in the area due to these chemicals being used on fields, according to the state DOH data, Steuben County’s cancer rate is consistent with other New York counties.

Wells is battling two cancers, which were attributed to Agent Orange, but he questions if the exposure to PFAS chemicals worsened his health after his doctor couldn’t understand the way leukemia was impacting his kidneys.

Concerns about the issue prompted the Sierra Club to test water in three Steuben County towns. They found that drinking wells on land that was adjacent to landspreading were nine times more contaminated by PFAS. 

While that confirms a high presence of PFAS, it’s difficult to connect the residents’ health conditions to those chemicals. 

The DEC, in a statement to Spectrum News 1, said the agency “recognizes the potential for PFAS to re-enter the environment and negatively impact natural resources and public health with the land spreading of biosolids that may contain excessive levels of PFAS. DEC is reviewing the U.S. EPA’s draft scientific assessment to determine how the data and the final findings may be incorporated into New York state’s policies and regulations to ensure the continued protection of public health and the environment.”

State eyes an increase

On the surface, landspreading can be a win-win scenario: It’s a cheaper fertilizer option for farmers, and public officials want an alternative solution to getting rid of the byproduct of waste treatment facilities that isn’t sending it to a landfill or incinerator.

In fact, increasing land application is part of the state’s strategy to meet its climate goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — 12% of which comes from the waste management sector. A solid waste management plan released by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office in 2023 outlines a plan to double the use of biosolids by 2050.

What are the state and federal regulations?

PFAS is used in a variety of everyday items, from food packaging, cleaning products, non-stick pans, water-repellent clothing and more. When the chemicals in these products get flushed down drains, they end up in wastewater and are left behind in sludge after the treatment process. If that sludge is spread, the PFAS chemicals leech into the fields and the crops grown there, as well as the surrounding groundwater. And they stick around. PFAS chemicals are known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t easily break down in the environment.

The DEC has outlined procedures for sampling soil, water and land for PFAS but hasn’t released plans for remediation efforts. But it does review them on a case-by-case basis. Permits for landspreading don’t require routine testing of PFAS, only heavy metals. And flags are raised at testing done at treatment plants only flags if the PFAS contamination is above 20 parts per billion.

Debating a sludge ban

State leaders in the past decade passed bans on hydrofracking and plastic bags after deeming them harmful to the environment. Could sludge be next? Maine and Connecticut are the only states to have banned the practice.

There has been an effort here. A bill was introduced in the state Assembly in 2023 that would end the sale and use of biosolids, but it didn’t get out of committee.

Despite grassroots calls from some New Yorkers, a blanket ban faces hurdles. 

For one, there is the state’s Right to Farm law, which protects farmers in agricultural zones from so-called nuisance laws that would restrict farming practices. This law allows farmers to use fertilizer, which includes sludge.

Additionally, there is the question of economics. By banning biosolids, farmers would pay for more fertilizers, which would cut into their bottom line and ultimately impact the price of food for consumers.

For now, any fight against sewage sludge remains a local one. In Steuben County, the town of Thuston passed a law against landspreading in 2023. The neighboring town of Cameron is in the process of doing the same, but the nearby town of Bath hasn’t taken any action, leading to inconsistent policies within just a few miles (and for land that touches all three).