The Trump administration has killed nearly $15m in research into Pfas contamination of US farmland, bringing to a close studies that public health advocates say are essential for understanding a worrying source of widespread food contamination.
Researchers in recent years have begun to understand that Pfas-laden pesticides and sewage sludge spread on cropland as a fertilizer contaminate the soil with the chemicals, which then move into crops and nearby water sources.
Sludge is behind a still unfolding crisis in Maine, where 84 farms have been found to be significantly contaminated with Pfas, and some were forced to close. Advocates say farms across the nation are almost certainly contaminated at similar levels, but Maine is the only state with a robust testing program. The impacts on members of the public who eat from the farms in Maine and beyond is unclear.
“We have to do this research and take steps to not just make sure that our food supply is safe, but also ensure our farms and farmers are safe,” said Bill Pluecker, a Maine state representative and public policy organizer at Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, which has advocated for stricter sludge regulations.
“As we’ve seen here in Maine, farmers are the most affected by the Pfas because they’re working the soil, eating the food and drinking from wells.”
Pfas are a class of around 15,000 compounds that are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity.
In a statement, the EPA said: “The Trump EPA will continue to work with states, tribes, and communities to advance the agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment and Administrator [Lee] Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback Initiative, which includes providing clean air, land and water for every American.”
Sludge is a mix of human and industrial waste that is a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. Its disposal is expensive, and the EPA allows it to be spread on cropland as “biosolid” fertilizer because it is also rich in plant nutrients.
But public health advocates have blasted the practice because the nation spends billions of dollars annually treating water only to take the toxic byproduct, insert it into the food supply and re-pollute water.
Maine became the first state to ban biosolids, and it established a $70m fund to help bail out affected farmers. So far, five farms have closed, and some farmers say they are suffering from health issues.
The EPA under Joe Biden was resistant to calls to take more action around contaminated farms and to ban the practice. A 2024 federal lawsuit alleging water pollution from Pfas-tainted sludge violates the Clean Water Act has the potential to end the practice altogether, or force the EPA into establishing regulations.
Amid this pressure, it set up the $15m program that funded 10 studies led by universities across the country. The research aimed to learn more about how the chemicals move into and accumulate in crops and livestock. Some research also looked at urban gardens; wastewater treatment plants often sell tainted sludge that it labels as “organic”. Other research aimed to improve mitigation strategies.
Previous research has highlighted the risks in crops uptaking Pfas. In North Carolina, researchers found water-rich fruits and vegetables – such as strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, blueberries and blackberries – showed higher levels than starch-rich produce, such as corn, because Pfas are attracted to water.
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The same study found the levels crops uptake can be quite high. For example, a child who eats just 10 blueberries from one of the gardens tested would consume levels of GenX, a common Pfas compound, equivalent to drinking a liter of water with levels of the chemical above the federal limit.
The Trump administration, along with Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency”, or Doge, killed the program in May, but recently reinstated funding for two studies. It is unclear why that funding was reinstated, but other funding was not. Several scientists told the Guardian they were appealing the decision, but declined to comment beyond that.
The administration’s move is “not just stupid, it’s evil”, said Kyla Bennett, science director with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), and a former EPA attorney.
“Cutting funding into research on how these toxic chemicals get into our food will doom us to decades or even hundreds of years more of exposure,” Bennett said.
