Learn what you need to know about PFAS, how to avoid forever chemicals, and what you can do to advocate for remediation.
In most life sectors – as homeowners, gardeners, farmers, and ranchers – we use chemicals in some way. Chemical drift (also known as “spray drift”) is the movement of chemicals off the intended target. Despite accurate application, chemical spray drift can’t always be repressed or wholly managed. Chemical droplets can remain suspended in the air and be carried by wind speeds as low as 10 mph away from the targeted area. Recently, there have been numerous cases worldwide of birds falling out of the sky, and some believe it’s due to the chemical drift pollution in our atmosphere.
This article will briefly cover some of the effects compound chemicals cause by drifting into our air, sediments, soil, and water from their various usages in our ecosystems.
Impacts of Chemical Drift in Our Watersheds
The U.S. Geological Survey states, “A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir, mouth of a bay, or any point along a stream channel.” Water travels over surfaces, across farm fields and city streets, or it’s absorbed into the soil and travels as groundwater, eventually emptying into an ocean. Large watersheds include the Chesapeake Bay, the Mississippi River, and the Columbia River.
Everyone lives in a watershed, and how you treat your natural resources affects the larger watershed downstream. Excessive use of chemicals, such as fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides, has become detrimental to our air, soil, water quality, and the environment.
Dilemmas and Roadblocks of Eco-Friendly Options
For those who don’t use organic methods, the lack of affordable and accessible eco-friendly options for lawn care, mosquitos, and weed control makes chemical options attractive, because they’re cheap and easy to use. Wastewater-treatment facilities have the same issues. Upgrading environmental controls to prevent further chemical contamination is complex, expensive, and time-consuming, not to mention that maintenance and properly trained personnel can be difficult to come by.
Many people use chemicals around their homes for cleaning, construction, gardening, maintenance, or landscaping purposes. Some cities even apply chemicals on a large scale. For example, mosquito insecticide (organophosphate) sprays are commonly dispensed from aircraft or truck-mounted sprayers; these sprays are called “pyrethrins,” chemicals derived from chrysanthemum flowers that are toxic to insects. The dilemma is that many of these large spraying operations use multiple unknown chemicals to reduce bugs, insects, pests, and rodents.
Impact of Chemical Drift
Traditionally, farmers cultivating large areas deal with issues from pests before and during harvest. Hence, chemicals like insecticides increase crop yields and reduce the loss of revenue. This leaves most farmers with limited options to control the chemical drift from their properties. A key issue is that many farmers implement farm-to-table operations to maximize profit, so chemical contamination continually spreads through their local communities via local food. The use of fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides on properties of any size has become highly normalized.
We could improve our future circumstances by creating better chemical-dissolution systems that incorporate a 100% plant-based mixture for all unwanted pests.
Inconsistent Regulation of Biosolids Used As Soil Amendments
Biosolids, also known as “treated sewage sludge,” are nutrient-rich organic solid materials created from domestic sewage treatment in wastewater-treatment facilities. Biosolids have been used nationwide because they’re cheap or almost free for some farmers, which helps them save money.
In the early 1990s, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wanted to discard waste from water-treatment facilities, so it recommended that treated waste from businesses and homes be used as a fertilizer for farmers, landscapers, and plant nurseries. They believed biosolids were a beneficial resource that contained essential ingredients, nutrients, and organic matter that could be recycled as fertilizer or soil amendment.
Nearly 30 years later, in 2018, the EPA released a statement about the inability to “assess the impact of hundreds of unregulated pollutants in land-applied biosolids on human health and the environment.” Yet states continue to give away and sell biosolids to farmers and ranchers who use biosolids to add nutrients to the land to feed cattle and other livestock to save money.
Each state’s unique environmental safety regulations have created inconsistent regulations in the farming industry, and companies have historically compromised farmlands through unsafe bioengineering practices and fertilizer issues. It’s difficult for many farmers who purchase feed or hay from other agricultural businesses to consider the impact of chemical drift on products they don’t grow. Farmers continually discover the chemical “Grazon” in beef, gardens, and poultry, which is linked to the improper purchase of hay, feed, or manure from businesses exposed to contaminants. Farmers and ranchers seeking change need support from corporations and state governments to start the remediation process.
What is the Danger of a Forever Chemical (PFAS)?
Some of the most challenging chemicals entering waterways are the synthetic organofluorine compounds perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also called PFAS). Well-known sources of PFAS include chemical and treatment facilities, commercial printers, plastics manufacturing, landfills, and waste disposal facilities. Also known as “forever chemicals,” many don’t break down easily in the environment or the human body. According to the Navy Environmental Restoration Program, no medical procedures properly remove PFAS from the body. A recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) review linked PFAS exposure to health issues such as asthma, decreased fertility, cancer, liver damage, and thyroid diseases. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has also sounded the alarm about underestimated effects of 4,000 types of PFAS in our bodies and in the environment.
Unfortunately, most states don’t test every farm, and water-treatment centers can’t test for chemical exposure. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have no PFAS limits established in food or livestock. A business can operate even though its location or property has a known history of chemical contamination. And if the site hasn’t been officially tested, it can continue to sell livestock. Most of the large beef, dairy, egg, and poultry farms in various areas are vital to the supply chain and local economies, so no one seems to be in a hurry to test them for fear of disrupting the supply chain. In essence, federal agencies and local officials understand the situation’s complexity, but existing data is insufficient to accurately determine the long-term effects.
Lack of testing isn’t the only roadblock hindering PFAS identification and remediation. Michigan is the only state to test for PFAS and unknown chemicals in its watersheds and waterways. However, many believe corporations in areas like Michigan contribute to the toxic waste destroying American farms by dumping industrial toxic waste into a wastewater-treatment plant. One possibility is the hesitation to enforce correction or remediation procedures because of job loss in various sectors, as the procedures require a lot of money. As a result, many large corporations using chemicals don’t have adequate funding or training to develop any of the environmental controls and improvements required to reduce or eliminate contamination. When these corporations discharge waste, it quickly enters waterways, eventually leading to people’s homes and affecting people’s lives in communities around the country.
How to Avoid Forever Chemicals and Take Action
Removing these contaminants requires action, accountability, and awareness on the federal, state, and local levels. You can contribute on an individual level as well. Consider joining or forming an environmental community group or sustainability organization to circulate informative literature about harmful chemicals to galvanize residents toward a healthier future. Use social media to connect with people worldwide who can inspire you or help with your mission.
Another way to expedite a lot of the political momentum needed for change is to build a coalition of eco-friendly companies that prioritize the importance of chemical-free environments. Consider hosting consistent monthly educational meetings between your community group and coalition to inspire everyone to get on board with demanding regulation and legislation. The biggest obstacle will be finding fun, educational ways to connect with people who need information most across different age groups. Considering we all learn differently when retaining new information, it’s important to envision a realistic plan to implement in your designated areas.
As you advocate for systemic change, you can protect your growing space from hazardous chemicals. If you’re in an area with other farmers or gardeners, look into purchasing chemical drift liability insurance to add an extra protection layer for your crops, livestock, minerals, and watersheds. This precaution must be taken because of the outdated safety practices implemented by the EPA, the FDA, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Additionally, if businesses in your area manufacture automotive parts or chemicals, take steps to remain aware of safety issues or violations to protect your land and resources. Reaching out to your local water-treatment facilities can help you learn which companies leak chemicals and what preventive measures are in place to protect the community. Lastly, if you frequent local farms, wash your boots and clothes immediately after you leave to avoid spreading chemicals to other areas.
The same birds and bees that drink our local water also pollinate our fruits and vegetables. Our gardens and farms are being contaminated, unnecessarily affecting our food chains. Addressing these chemical contaminants in our environment will create a healthier future
for everyone.
The culture behind chemical usage needs to be changed by raising awareness through local dialogues and contacting your government to demand change. Educating yourself about these topics and sharing them with others will raise overall consciousness, and that’s where things change on a grassroots level. Some people may feel hopeless about the circumstances, but knowledge is power, and connecting with other like-minded people will simplify the process.
Kashava Holt seeks to empower urban residents with farming education, land, resources, and access to fresh organic food. Through the nonprofit Akron Urban Agriculture, he works to provide healthier foods to communities in urban areas.
