PFAS in fertilisers blamed for killing livestock in Texas and wreaking havoc

The mystery of why farmers fell ill in Johnson County, Texas and what killed the fish in their ponds and livestock on their ranches may be solved. The culprit appears to be a fertiliser contaminated with dangerous levels of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that was spread on adjacent farmland, according to the findings of an ongoing criminal investigation.

The case began in late December 2022 when Dana Ames, an environmental crimes investigator for Johnson County, received a complaint from a farmer in the county who said a neighbour was spreading what appeared to be fertiliser that had been smoking for days. He reported that the valley surrounding his property had filled up with smoke, which was creating breathing problems for himself, his wife and neighbours. Further, the farmer alleged that previous spreading of this material by the same neighbour had caused the fish in his pond and other nearby ponds to die and that it had led to his animals becoming ill too.