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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Environment
Tom Perkins

‘Forever chemicals’ may have polluted 20m acres of US cropland, study says

A farmer harvesting soybeans on a farm near Waukegan, Illinois.
A farmer harvesting soybeans on a farm near Waukegan, Illinois. Photograph: Tannen Maury/EPA

About 20m acres of cropland in the United States may be contaminated from PFAS-tainted sewage sludge that has been used as fertilizer, a new report estimates.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 9,000 compounds used to make products heat-, water- or stain-resistant. Known as “forever chemicals” because they don’t naturally break down, they have been linked to cancer, thyroid disruption, liver problems, birth defects, immunosuppression and more.

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