Are PFAS in farm fertilizer ending up in the vegetables you buy at the store?

What's actually in it

Biosolids are the leftover sludge from sewage treatment plants. Many U.S. farms use them as a free or cheap fertilizer. The trouble: PFAS from industrial waste, household products, and consumer goods all flow to the sewage plant and concentrate in the sludge.

Spread the sludge on a field, and the PFAS soak into the soil, the water, and the crops grown there.

What the research says

A 2026 piece in Lancet Oncol reviewed evidence that PFAS in U.S. biosolids could pose a real cancer risk through the food supply. The chemicals reach crops, livestock feed, and drinking water near the fields. The team called for stricter PFAS limits on biosolids and clearer labeling for farmers.

The risk score was highest for people who eat from local farms in regions with heavy biosolid use.

Buy from farms that don't use biosolids. Many organic certifications restrict biosolid use, and some local farms post their fertilizer policy. Filter your tap water for PFAS if you live near farmland that may have used biosolids. Wash and peel produce, though that only helps a little since PFAS can be inside the plant.