Establishes a moratorium on the sale and use of biosolids

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic42
• Republican4

This bill has cosponsors from more than one party.

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Pete Harckham says this is needed

NYS has already recognized the risk of PFAS and banned their use in outdoor apparel, food packaging, firefighting equipment, and firefight- ing foam. NYS' allowable limit for PFAS in drinking water is also 10 parts per trillion, yet there is currently no regulatory or statutory limit for PFAS in biosolids spread on farmland (6 CRR-NY 361-3.0). In fact, in 2023, New York's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released a draft Solid Waste Management Plan, which states that the DEC would "continue to support local efforts to increase biosolids recycling as a means to provide nutrients and organic matter to soils..." in order to reduce landfilling of biosolids. While it is an honorable goal to reduce waste going to landfills, bioso-lids are far too toxic to continue spreading directly on farmland that produces our food. A 2019 The Guardian Article titled "Biosolids: mix human waste with toxic chemicals, then spread on crops," details the risk of biosolids, stating: "By the time the mix lands in treatment plants, it can teem with pharmaceuticals, hormones, pathogens, bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic worms, as well as heavy metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic or mercury. It often includes PCBs, PFAS, diox- ins, BPAs and dozens of other harmful substances ranging from flame retardants to hospital waste." There are nearly 80,000 man-made chemi- cals from industrial discharge and sewage systems, with the EPA identi- fying 350 pollutants, of which 61 are acknowledged as "1. Acutely hazardous, 2. hazardous, or 3.priority pollutants." Furthermore, the Federal Government bars dumping of biosolids in oceans because it causes marine dead zones, while Whole Foods, Dole, Heinz, and Del Monte won't buy crops grown in biosolids. The impacts of land spreading of biosolids on human health are clear. A 2013 study from the University of North Carolina which found that 75% of people living near farms that spread biosolids experienced health issues like burning eyes, nausea, vomiting, boils, and rashes, while others contracted penicillin-resistant M RSA. While PFAS are only one of the many contaminants in biosolids, an EPA web page titled "Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS" recognizes health effects of this chemical includes: "decreased fertili- ty or increased high blood pressure in pregnant women; developmental effects or delays in children, including low birth weight, accelerated puberty, bone variations, or behavioral changes; increased risk of cancers including prostate, kidney, and testicular; reduced ability of the body's immune system to fight infections, including reduced vaccine response; interference with the body's natural hormones; increased cholesterol levels and/or risk of obesity." There is no reason why New York's food should not be as protected as our drinking water. Continuing the spreading of biosolids that are not treated to neutralize the known effects of contaminants like PFAS, -other known toxic chemicals including PCBs, dioxins, and BPAs, and heavy metals will only contaminate New York's land, food, and people, costing millions to mitigate and taking prime farmland offline for many decades.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.