The company that helps produce the Capital Regional District含羞草研究社檚 (CRD) biosolids rejects claims its similar products made Texas farmers and their animals sick.
Synagro Technologies is the majority equity holder of the contractor that built the regional district含羞草研究社檚 residual treatment facility at Hartland landfill. It also has a 20-year contract to operate the facility that makes the dried treated-wastewater granules.
In a civil lawsuit brought forward in February, five Johnson County, Texas, plaintiffs claim their farms were polluted by toxic chemicals in a biosolids-based fertilizer produced by Synagro after a neighbouring property spread the product on its crops. The farmers allege the fertilizer contained high levels of PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkl substances) that made them sick with various illnesses, led to their animals dying, polluted their water and rendered their properties worthless.
Synagro responded to the claims in a statement that was presented to the CRD board last week.
In the statement, the company said it will be contesting the lawsuit as it denies the allegations, calling them unproven and novel. The company added that plaintiffs have amended their initial complaint to 含羞草研究社渄rastically reduce含羞草研究社� the concentration of PFAS that was alleged to come from the Synagro product.
A lawyer for the farmers said they quickly amended the complaint to fix decimals that had been misplaced due to an inadvertent conversion error, but emphasized the PFAS values in the lawsuit are still excessively high.
含羞草研究社淥ur clients are still seeing impacts we attribute to these PFAS levels, including another cow that died on the property this week,含羞草研究社� Mark Guerrero told Black Press Media in a statement. 含羞草研究社淪ynagro含羞草研究社檚 products have not 含羞草研究社榖enefited含羞草研究社� our clients in any way, but have impacted every aspect of their lives.含羞草研究社�
PFAS are considered forever chemicals that are linked to cancer, several diseases and other harmful impacts on humans and animals. The farmers含羞草研究社� lawsuit cited the company含羞草研究社檚 own public reports that acknowledge its products may have PFAS present in them.
含羞草研究社淥ne of our industry含羞草研究社檚 challenges to move toward a more circular world, is the potential of unwanted substances in biosolids, like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS),含羞草研究社� the company含羞草研究社檚 2022 sustainability report states.
The biosolids applied to the land neighbouring the plaintiffs含羞草研究社� properties met all the necessary requirements, Synagro含羞草研究社檚 statement said.
含羞草研究社淯SEPA (Environment Protection Agency) continues to support land application of biosolids as a valuable practice that recycles nutrients to farmland and has not suggested that any changes in biosolids management is required,含羞草研究社� the company said.
The company defended the practise of applying biosolids to the land to supplement growth. Synagro called biosolids a nutrient-rich end-product of the wastewater treatment process that are safe for agricultural land application.
含羞草研究社淏iosolids provide multiple benefits to overall soil quality and health, including improved moisture absorption ability, recycling of micro and macro nutrients, carbon sequestering, reduced nutrient leaching, and lower use of industrially produced chemical fertilizers,含羞草研究社� Synagro said.
Guerrero, the farmers含羞草研究社� lawyer, called Synagro含羞草研究社檚 position that its products present little risk to human and environmental health blatantly false. He pointed to the EPA含羞草研究社檚 move last week to set legally enforceable contaminant levels for several PFAS compounds known to occur in drinking water.
The CRD doesn含羞草研究社檛 allow agricultural land application but has been spreading biosolids at its Hartland landfill site in recent years. It含羞草研究社檚 also been burying much of the treated sewage pellets in the dump itself, which goes against provincial requirements.
Those practises have been criticized by local coalitions 含羞草研究社� made up of residents, farmers and businesses 含羞草研究社� that are concerned about biosolids containing PFAS, pharmaceuticals, microplastics and other contaminants.
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