Want To Learn More About Taking Action On PFAS?

Go To Maine. That's What A Delegation From Mass. Did This Week.

Photo by Mercedes Mehling on Unsplash

The state of Maine is living up to it’s state motto, “Dirigo,” meaning, “I Guide” or “I Direct,” when it comes to taking action on PFAS.

Yesterday, about 20 lawmakers, legislative staff, and state agency workers from Massachusetts visited the Pine Tree State to learn more about their efforts to address PFAS contamination on agricultural land.

ICYMI: PFAS, is short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of thousands of industrial chemicals that have been widely used for decades in consumer products and manufacturing.

Maine was the first state to ban land application of sludge in 2022 after discovering widespread PFAS contamination on local farms.

Many of the local advocates who pushed for stronger legislation are at the helm of a national group called Coalition for Sludge-Free Land that launched earlier this year and helped organize the the meet-up, along with Portland-based public health nonprofit Defend Our Health, and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA).

Maine was also the first state to pass a rule requiring manufacturers to report intentionally added PFAS in products.

The Massachusetts delegation met with farmers affected by the chemicals as well as policymakers. The group toured a dairy farm in Arundel, Stoneridge Farm, that helped to catapult the issue into the public consciousness in Maine after extremely high levels of PFAS were found in the farm's soil, milk, and drinking water nearly a decade ago.

"I've long understood Maine's leadership nationally and internationally on the issue of banning PFAS, banning biosolids application ... and supporting farmers," Massachusetts state Sen. Jo Comerford, who represents the Worcester area, told Maine Public Radio. "But today I leave with a renewed fire in my belly that in Massachusetts, we have to turn off the tap on PFAS. We must follow Maine."

While Maine has passed laws making new sludge application illegal, the practice of biosolid sludge spreading is still happening throughout the country.

“We know that PFAS is a problem in the national food supply,” wrote Bill Pluecker, MOFGA’s public policy organizer in a 2024 blog. “It is found not just in food packaging, which is supposed to be voluntarily phased out in the coming years, but also in the food that is grown in land contaminated from sludge applications, firefighting foam, solvents and pesticides. Action must be taken to address the issue not just in Maine but nationwide.”

So why did Mass. reps go to Maine? Interestingly, biosolids can move throughout states. In fact, Vermont-based waste management company Casella imported sludge from Massachusetts and processed it in Maine before spreading it on agricultural fields as fertilizer.

Adam Nordell, campaign manager with Defend Our Health, explained that Massachusetts’ sludge is still being brought into Maine to be composted, but because Maine banned the land application of sludge in 2022, it is now being sent back out of state.

Sounds like a really bad game of hot potato that no state wants to win!

Nordell said he hoped the visit could help spur a more regional discussion about addressing these toxic chemicals because “PFAS doesn’t necessarily respect property boundaries or state boundaries.”

Massachusetts Sen. Jo Comerford is sponsoring a bill to ban the application of biosolids on land, as well as establish a fund to support farmers whose land has been impacted. The proposal also seeks to support municipalities in reducing sludge volume.

“Maine has led the nation in addressing and preventing further PFAS contamination on agricultural land while supporting impacted farms,” Comerford told the Maine Morning Star. “I’m grateful to the legislators, agency officials, farmers, and advocates from both Maine and Massachusetts who will spend the day together learning about and discussing Maine’s approach and how we can embark on this work now in Massachusetts.”

Other states should take note. As uncertainty at the federal level carries on, the need for states to take action and collaborate is higher than ever. Across the country, livestock animals are getting sick and crops are sitting in poisoned soil contaminated by PFAS chemicals.

More than 350 PFAS-related bills have been introduced in 39 states this year alone, with legislation enacted in five states (Illinois, Virginia, Maine, New York, and New Mexico), demonstrating significant legislative interest at the state level. Learn more here.

Connecticut has also outlawed the land application of sludge, and seven other states are considering legislation to ban or restrict the practice.

Worried About PFAS At Your Tap?

One of the questions I get asked most often is: What kind of filter do I recommend for PFAS?

With so many water filters on the market, you need to know that not all filters address PFAS. If you choose to use a filter, be sure to get one that is certified to remove or reduce PFAS in drinking water.

A filter can cost as little as $20 or more than $1,000 (not including maintenance costs), with variations between types, brands, and whether they are pitcher filters, installed on your faucet or for your entire home.

The types of filters that are currently available and can be effective at reducing PFAS:

• Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems: Reverse osmosis is a process that forces water through an extremely thin barrier that separates chemicals from the water.

• Charcoal (Granular Activated Carbon or GAC): These filters use carbon to trap chemicals as water passes through them.

• Ion Exchange Resins: Resins are tiny beads that act like powerful magnets that attract and hold the contaminated materials from passing through the water system.

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What’s happening in your state with PFAS and biosolids? Let us know in the comments below.