Senate passes Sen. Jeff Wilson’s bill to assess ‘forever chemical’ contamination in food supply

A bill by state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, passed the Senate for the second time Friday, calling attention to possible forever-chemical contamination in Washington’s food supply due to the use of biosolid fertilizers on fields where crops are grown, according to a news release from Wilson.

Senate Bill 5033 would launch a testing program to assess contamination levels in processed human waste currently used as fertilizers for farms and forests.

Wilson’s bill requires the state Department of Ecology to establish a testing program for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) compounds in biosolids by July 1, 2028.

The Department of Ecology would report findings and make recommendations to the Legislature prior to the 2030 session, Sen. Wilson stated in the news release.

Wilson’s bill passed the Senate 49-0 and now goes to the House. Wilson passed a similar bill in the Senate last year, but the measure died without a vote in the House Appropriations Committee.

“We have a responsibility to address possible PFAS contamination,” Wilson said. “We need to understand whether there are any concerns with our application of biosolids on the land we depend upon for our food supply. By addressing forever chemicals today, we can help ensure a safer future.”

PFAS compounds are used in carpets, nonstick cookware, firefighting foam and other applications because of their resistance to water, oil and grease. But their persistence in the environment has created concerns about the health effects of their accumulation in the human body.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has already designated two PFAS compounds as hazardous substances and set contamination limits for drinking water. Two months ago, the EPA concluded those compounds also could pose a risk to human health in certain concentrations when they contaminate sewage sludge used as fertilizer.

To settle questions about whether biosolids are safe for use on cropland, Wilson’s bill would also create an expert advisory committee including representatives from the farming community, toxicologists and public utilities that produce biosolids for use as soil enhancers.

Wilson said awareness of the PFAS contamination problem is relatively new.

“We need to base our decisions on science, not on fear,” he stated. “The process we establish with this bill will help us ask the right questions.”