Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS)

On January 14, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) for public comment. The draft risk assessment reflects the agency’s latest scientific understanding of the potential risks to human health and the environment posed by the presence of PFOA and PFOS in sewage sludge that is land applied as a soil conditioner or fertilizer (on agricultural, forested, and other lands), surface disposed (e.g., placed in a sewage sludge-only landfill called a monofill), or incinerated. The draft risk assessment is being released for a 60-day public comment period, which will begin upon publication of the draft risk assessment in the Federal Register. The EPA will accept written comments from the public on the draft risk assessment (Docket ID no. EPA-HQ-OW-2024-0504) through August 14, 2025 (extended from the original March 17, 2025 deadline).

• Federal Register Notice: Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS)
  • Federal Register: Notice of Comment Period Extension
  • Federal Register: Extension of Comment Period 
• Document: Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) CASRN 335-67-1 And Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) CASRN 1763-23-1 (pdf) (8.76 MB, January 2025, 820-P-25-001)
• Document: EPA Response to External Peer Review Comments on the Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) CASRN 335-67-1 and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) (pdf) (1.08 MB, January 2025, 820-R-25-002)
• Document: Responses to Select Science Advisory Board Comments Relevant to the Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS (pdf) (266.97 KB, January 2025, 820-R-25-001)
• Frequent Questions and Answers

For assistance reading these documents, please contact the EPA Biosolids Program (biosolidsprogram@epa.gov).

Fact Sheets

• Fact Sheet: Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS (pdf) (262.36 KB, January 2025, 822-F-25-003)
• Fact Sheet: Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS: Information for Farmers (pdf) (204.42 KB, January 2025, 822-F-25-004)
• Fact Sheet: Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS: Information for Wastewater Treatment Plants (pdf) (228.1 KB, January 2025, 822-F-25-005)
• Fact Sheet: Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS: Information for State Water Agencies (pdf) (253.56 KB, January 2025, 822-F-25-006)

Webinar

On January 15, 2025, the EPA held a Stakeholder Webinar on the Draft Risk Assessment for PFOA/PFOS in Sewage Sludge.

• Public Webinar Recording: Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS
• Presentation Slides: Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS (pdf) (2.17 MB)