Read the full article by Shannon Heckt (Virginia Mercury).
“After multiple debates and meetings between stakeholders, a compromise has been reached on how Virginia can begin to monitor the presence of ‘forever chemicals,’ in biosolids that are used as fertilizer on farms across the commonwealth.
What started as an all out ban of the use of biosolids, which is fertilizer made up of treated sewage sludge, through Senate Bill 386 has turned into the first steps towards restricting the use of the substance that is feared to contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George, has amended his bill to phase in testing the sewage sludge for PFOA and PFOS, chemicals that are under the umbrella of PFAS. When the chemicals in the sludge reach certain levels farmers will be alerted and will not be able to spread the fertilizer on their fields.
‘This is a very important first step, and this gives information to people,’ Stuart said. ‘It sets a threshold, and it’s not as aggressive as I would have liked it to have been, but it also provides testing and information to DEQ and farmers.'”…