Toxic Sludge Is NOT Good For You

Eight years ago, in 1995, PR Watch broke the stunning story of how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promoted the use of toxic sewage sludge as cheap farm fertilizer . The major media failed to report the story. This EPA scandal became a long chapter in our 1995 book Toxic Sludge Is Good for You, documenting the deceptive EPA PR campaign. We're glad to see that the New York Times is discovering the toxic sludge issue, but it's a little late because today most sewage sludge (including New York city's) is spread onto farmland. One serious error in the Times article is the false and misleading statement that "organic farmers prefer biosolids [the EPA's PR term for sludge] over chemical fertilizers." In fact, the only way to avoid crops and animals raised on sewage sludge is to buy certified organic food. Consumers and organic farmers defeated the EPA's efforts to allow food grown in sludge to be called "organic."