Harmful chemicals in sewage sludge spread on pasture as fertilizer pose a risk to people who regularly consume milk, beef and other products from those farms, in some cases raising cancer risk “several orders of magnitude” above what the Environmental Protection Agency considers acceptable,

Chemicals in sewage sludge that is spread on pasture land as fertilizer are causing cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, EPA released a long-awaited draft report demonstrating that toxic "forever chemicals" in sewage sludge applied to farmland can cause cancer and other diseases in people who live near farm fields where the sludge is applied, or consume tainted milk, beef or other foods from these farms.

Farm families that consume milk, eggs and beef they raise themselves face an increased risk of cancer if their fields were fertilized with PFAS-laced sewage sludge, the EPA reported this week. The results do not suggest that the broader food supply is contaminated.

Environmental advocates are calling for a ban the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer. An EPA draft report found that there may be health risks associated with exposure to PFAS "forever chemicals" in the sludge,