SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane Riverkeeper, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring the Spokane River, collected water samples as a part of a recent study with Waterkeeper Alliance and reported that PFAS are 5,000% higher at biosolid land application sites.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals linked to public health outcomes and negative impacts on ecosystems, according to the Waterkeeper Alliance. They are used often in industrial and common consumer products like nonstick pans, microwave popcorn bags and paint.
Spokane Riverkeeper took samples at locations where biosolids meet the river, like at the Riverfront Park Water Reclamation Facility and waterways next to biosolid application sites. The purpose of this was to understand how present PFAS is in spaces where it could be absorbed by aquatic life and into the environment…