Catskill Mountainkeeper Urges Action to Ban Toxic Sludge in Farming Before Session Ends

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Before the New York State Senate and Assembly leave for summer recess, Catskill Mountainkeeper is pushing for a statewide ban on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in farm fertilizers.

An environmental advocacy group in Sullivan County, Catskill Mountainkeeper is sounding the alarm about the use of biosolids in fertilizers to grow food.  They are calling for supporters to contact their members of the New York State Senate and Assembly to vote “Yes” on the Management of PFAS in Biosolids Act before their legislative sessions end on June 12 and June 17 respectively.

High levels of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, often referred to as “forever chemicals” in food, water, and packaging have been linked to a weakened antibody response to vaccines, increased cholesterol levels, and even certain cancers, including liver and testicular.

In response, this bill would require vital testing of soil, water, and sludge, in order to ban the use of forever chemicals on farmland. Opponents of the bill have argued that this overhaul of biosolid-based fertilizers would cause a high financial burden on farmers in New York State.

But Wes Gillingham, Associate Director of Catskill Mountainkeeper and a farmer at Wild Roots Farm, sees this a common sense problem with a clear solution.

“Basically, we’re taking toxins and putting them on our land that produces food,” Gillingham said. “We’re doing this to ourselves, it’s crazy!”

According to Gillingham, much of the biosolids, or sludge-based fertilizers, used in farming soil comes into New York State from the Deer Island Waste Treatment Plant in Winthrop, Massachusetts. The sludge is then shipped in the form of dry, pelletized waste, used in soil and often not examined for PFAS levels, which Gillingham argues is because it lowers the cost accrued by waste management companies.

Several counties, including Albany County, have already placed moratoriums on agricultural land to study the contamination effects of biosolids. Still, Catskill Mountainkeeper is advocating for statewide changes to address the problem – and clarifying who is to blame.

“I want to be clear, it’s not the farmer’s fault here,” said Gillingham. “[The Farmers] are getting pitched by companies ‘Hey this is a great fertilizer, look at how much cheaper it is than conventional fertilizer, or even hauling your own manure.’ They’ve been sold a bill of goods that is not a bill of goods.”

While Catskill Mountainkeeper ultimately sees farmers and New Yorkers as victims of carelessness around environmental protection, Gillingham advises people to educate themselves on the presence of PFAS in store bought fertilizers as well.

Among several names, Gillingham listed Bloom Soil, Milorganite, NutriGreen Compost, TOPGRO Soil Amendment, OceanGro, Dillo Dirt, and MetroGro all as substances for those with a green thumb to be aware of.

“People get all excited ‘Oh I’m going to grow my own garden and my own kale!’” said Gillingham, “But you might be putting biosolids and PFAS on your kale.”

Whether the bill passes before the end of the session, Catskill Mountainkeeper is keeping their focus on banning biosolid spreading in all farming. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Trump administration recently delayed regulations monitoring PFAS in drinking water, but Gillingham is doubling down in encouraging New Yorkers to support bills that eliminate the use of PFAS in all products.

“We’re exposed to [PFAS] in so many different ways, it’s going to take us years to get it out of all our products,” said Gillingham. “They’re called forever chemicals for a reason, they stick around and haunt us for a long time.”

Image: New York State Senator Peter Harckham speaking at a biosolids press conference. Catskill Mountainkeeper’s Wes Gillingham stands in the background, second from right. (Credit: NYSenate.gov)