In brief
Nearly 10,000 acres of farmland in South Carolina, previously fertilized with sludge from a textile mill, may need Superfund designation due to dangerous PFAS contamination, impacting both farmers and public health.
In South Carolina, the abandoned Galey & Lord textile mill, once a powerhouse of cotton production, is now at the center of a major environmental crisis. Stretching across almost 10,000 acres, nearby farmland has been found contaminated with harmful “forever chemicals,” known as PFAS, linked to various health problems, including cancer. For decades, farmers received sewage sludge as a free fertilizer, unaware of the dangers lurking within it. Now, agricultural officials urge for these lands to qualify as a Superfund site, signaling a need for serious cleanup efforts. Robert O’Neal, a local farmer affected in the late 1990s, expressed regret at the contamination, stating he was misled about the fertilizer’s benefits. As this case unfolds, it stands as a pivotal moment in how agricultural practices in the U.S. will be evaluated in relation to health and environmental safety.
