Perfluorinated Compounds in Sludge Applied in Decatur, AL

Perfluorinated Compounds in Sludge Applied in Decatur, AL refers to a case in which sewage sludge containing perfluorinated compounds (such as PFOA and PFOS) was applied to grazing land in Decatur, AL.


 * "In Decatur, Ala., chemical companies released perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) -- the stuff that makes up nonstick cookware and has been linked to thyroid defects in pregnant women and to cancer in wastewater treatment plant workers -- into the sewage system over a period of decades.


 * "The local wastewater treatment plant, Decatur Utilities, collected sludge, which was then sprayed onto grazing lands over a period of 12 years. Tests in 2009 showed that the fields -- a grazing ground for cattle -- contained PFOA and PFOS. Both chemicals are highly persistent in the environment and accumulate in the body."

Other SourceWatch resources

 * Sewage Sludge
 * Food Rights Network
 * Biosolids
 * The EPA's plan to bypass opposition to sewage sludge disposal
 * Water Environment Federation
 * You say biosolids, I say sewage sludge
 * Scientific Studies of Sewage Sludge
 * Sewage sludge giveaways, producers, and brands
 * Sludge contaminants
 * Sludge News
 * Sewage Sludge Primer

External Articles

 * Gayathri Vaidyanathan, "Biosolids Tracking Efforts a Jumble of Research With No Clear Answers," New York Times, August 26, 2010.