the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jan 20, 2025
An investigation by The New York Times shows that the federal Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, is continuing to allow and even push the use of fertilizer made from human sewage which is known to contain dangerous ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFAS. The EPA is doing so despite being warned about dangers of PFAS in ‘sludge fertilizer’ to human health by the huge chemical manufacturer 3M as far back as 2003.
When the farm industry uses this sludge fertilizer, the PFAS winds up in soil and remains there forever. The fertilizer industry estimates farmers have permits to use sludge fertilizer on around 20% of U.S. farmland, according to The Times.
PFAS is another name for a group of fluorochemicals. They have been used in a variety of products like nonstick pans and stain-resistant carpets. 3M used PFAS in products like Scotchgard used to protect leather and fabrics, Scotchban used in food packaging, and foam used by firefighters to put out jet-fuel fires.
A large number of studies have shown PFAS to be associated with many health problems in both children and adults. In children, studies have shown them to be linked with higher rates of infectious diseases, food allergies and asthma, higher frequency of fevers, and lower effectiveness of vaccines. In adults, even low PFAS levels have been shown to interfere with hormone, fertility, liver and thyroid function, cholesterol levels and fetal development.
These ‘forever chemicals’ wind up in human sewage because so many of us have been exposed to them and they wind up in a large proportion of our bodies.
And if anyone should know, it should be 3M, because they knew about the dangers for decades based on research by their own scientists, but continued to spend many years trying to hide them from the public.
In the following years, 3M found how widespread PFAS had become in human sewage and apparently decided to turn over a new leaf, informing the EPA of their findings as far back as 2003.
The EPA knows the dangers of PFAS, designating two of them as hazardous substances and mandating water utilities to reduce their levels in drinking water, yet they continue to push the use of sewage sludge fertilizer.