[HN Gopher] PFAS in fertilisers blamed for killing livestock in ...
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       PFAS in fertilisers blamed for killing livestock in Texas and
       wreaking havoc
        
       Author : chiffre01
       Score  : 58 points
       Date   : 2025-03-03 19:26 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.chemistryworld.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.chemistryworld.com)
        
       | e40 wrote:
       | _> Synagro has denied that its fertilisers have harmed the health
       | of farmers or livestock and is contesting the lawsuit._
       | 
       | Sign of the times. Deny, deny, deny, and maybe all the people
       | suing you will die or run out of money.
        
         | Aurornis wrote:
         | > Sign of the times. Deny, deny, deny,
         | 
         | Not really a sign of the times. Innocent until proven guilty
         | isn't a new concept. The burden of proof is on the people suing
         | to show that PFAS both came from the fertilizer and is the
         | cause of the issues.
         | 
         | The article mentions that microplastics was another theory.
         | It's not encouraging when the leading theories appear to be
         | plucked out of current trends for scary chemicals.
        
           | linotype wrote:
           | I for one like it when my crops use sewage sludge. PFAS makes
           | them taste better.
        
         | bsder wrote:
         | This is not new.
         | 
         | Ref: The Johnstown Flood
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnstown_Flood
        
       | sebmellen wrote:
       | Johnson County is not in the middle of nowhere, Texas. It's just
       | about 30 minutes south of DFW.
        
       | paulbaumgart wrote:
       | This doesn't address the underlying problem, but if this is
       | something you'd like to avoid as a consumer, it's worth noting
       | that sewage sludge is not permitted for use in growing organic
       | produce:
       | 
       | > A very important part of the process-based regulatory framework
       | is the prohibition of certain methods in organic production and
       | handling. Methods like irradiation, sewage sludge, and genetic
       | engineering are all expressly prohibited from being used when
       | growing or processing organic foods.
       | 
       | https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/organic-101-what-o...
        
       | Aurornis wrote:
       | The actual complaint is available here: https://peer.org/wp-
       | content/uploads/2024/02/2024.02.27-First...
       | 
       | Not a lawyer and I didn't read with a fine-tooth comb, but I
       | didn't see any smoking gun.
       | 
       | The complaint shows high quantities of PFAS measured on a farm,
       | then it jumps to a section that says those PFAS were "also found"
       | in a sample of the fertilizer used. The catch is that the
       | concentration of those PFAS is measured in parts per trillion
       | (ppt). Not a lawyer, but I feel like this is an uphill battle to
       | show that the "smoking fertilizer" that caused the breathing
       | problems is linked to PFAS contamination in groundwater at a
       | different site at high concentrations.
       | 
       | Something to keep in mind is that modern equipment is very good
       | at finding very small quantities of compounds. When you're able
       | to measure down to parts per trillion you can start finding some
       | level of various compounds in basically every water sample you
       | test.
        
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       (page generated 2025-03-03 23:01 UTC)