Breakthrough PFAS Study Focuses on Dust Risks for Maine Farmers
June 17, 2025
In Unity, Maine, state regulators have identified over 80 farms and 500 residential properties contaminated with PFAS, or "forever chemicals," as part of a statewide investigation. Many farms have had to pivot to alternative operations such as solar energy or different crops in an effort to stay afloat. One farmer, Adam Nordell, had to shut down his successful Songbird Farm after discovering PFAS contamination from municipal sludge used as fertilizer. Since then, he has been advocating for stricter regulations and increased awareness through his work with the nonprofit Defend Our Health.
Nordell and his family live with elevated PFAS levels in their blood and are concerned about the health risks from years of exposure to contaminated dust generated during farming. As he describes it, the act of tilling and plowing not only exposed him directly but may have also spread contaminated particles across the surrounding landscape. His concerns have caught the attention of researchers in Maine, including Caleb Goossen from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, who recently received funding to study airborne PFAS exposure risk from disturbed soil.
The upcoming study will focus on how PFAS-laced soil particles behave when disturbed during farm work, particularly in the Unity area. Rather than measuring how far the dust travels, researchers aim to assess exposure risks to farmers during soil transitions—such as switching to solar panel installations or new crops—without further spreading contamination. Nordell emphasized the importance of understanding all occupational exposure pathways to better protect farmers, while Goossen noted that findings from this research could ultimately benefit PFAS-affected farmers in other states as well.
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