(NewsNation) — Texas ranchers Tony and Karen Coleman say it started with the fish, their silver bodies discovered floating in the water.
Then, Karen’s prized horses.
Now, the cows are dying, developing a signature staggering gait before wasting, often writhing on the ground in their final moments, their lowing loud and panicked.
Even calves, appearing to be born in perfect condition, are dying the next day on their ranch.
“It’s like a nightmare you can’t wake up from,” said Tony Coleman. “You go home at night and you don’t really sleep well, because you know the next day is coming, and you know what it’s going to bring. I don’t think there’s enough words. It’s like ripping your heart out.”
T-K Ranch is a family operation, inherited from Karen Coleman’s father in Johnson County, Texas. She says these cows are his legacy.
“It’s the worst anguish you can imagine,” Karen Coleman told NewsNation’s Natasha Zouves. “I wouldn’t wish this experience on my worst enemy.”
The Colemans say 39 of their animals have died since the start of 2023; they have about 130 cattle left.
Testing by the county revealed contamination that curiously extended from the fertilizer spread on the neighbor’s farmland across the street — to the soil and water on the Colemans’ properties, as well as their animals. Tony and Karen Coleman say their own blood is now also testing high for Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
What are PFAS?
PFAS are commonly called “forever chemicals” because they are almost impossible to break down.
PFAS are completely human-made, created from the top secret World War II nuclear bomb Manhattan Project. After the war, 3M bought the patent to develop these newly discovered chemicals and found they did a remarkable job in resisting water, oil and stains. 3M created the blockbuster product Scotch Guard.
PFAS quickly became nearly ubiquitous in American lives, making their way into food packaging and firefighting foam; products ranging from makeup to dental floss; in our homes in carpets and couches — and under the company DuPont, in our Teflon non-stick pans.
“It’s in firefighting gear, it’s in the flame retardant clothing we put babies in, it’s in the furniture that we spray scotch guard on,” Environmental Advocate Erin Brockovich said. “It’s in our makeup, it’s everywhere. It’s in our coffee cups. It’s in everything. It’s pretty catastrophic, that a chemical like this has gotten into every aspect of our life.”
PFAS are linked with a range of serious health issues, including cancer, damage to the liver, to the thyroid and fertility. According to the CDC, PFAS can now be found in the blood of 97% of Americans. The United States Geological Survey believes it’s in 45% of our drinking water.
The Colemans had never heard of PFAS before their animals began dying. They have since discovered that their neighbor’s farmland was “sludged” — spread with a type of fertilizer made from treated human sewage called biosolids. The issue is that biosolids can be contaminated with a variety of chemicals or hazardous materials, including PFAS.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does require biosolid sludge to be tested for toxins like certain heavy metals. It does not, however, require sludge to be monitored for PFAS before it’s spread on farmland. The Environmental Working Group claims that nearly 20 million acres of American cropland has been spread with sludge, and 48 out of 50 states still spread sludge on farmland.
PFAS Contamination Lawsuit
Now, the Colemans are part of group of Texas farmers who have filed a PFAS contamination lawsuit against the Enviromental Protection Agency. The lawsuit contends that in failing to regulate PFAS in biosolids sludge, the agency violated the Clean Water Act and Administrative Procedures Act. The EPA is currently trying to get this lawsuit dismissed.
“The relief they seek— an order directing EPA to identify PFAS in its next biennial report, and to regulate PFAS thereafter—is simply not available,” the EPA wrote in a September 2024 court filing.
The EPA could not immediately be reached for comment on the Colemans’ case.
Tony Coleman says he has this message for the EPA:
“Why? I wouldn’t bother nobody, I was just raising some cows. Why wouldn’t you protect me like you were supposed to? And why don’t you have the gonads to admit you were wrong?”
The Colemans say they are facing financial ruin. Tony already describes working 19-hour days, and says he is now looking for a third job to make ends meet. They say it is not illegal for them to keep selling meat from their contaminated cattle — the only issue is their conscience. Both say they refuse to poison their fellow Americans.
“What kind of human would inject something that you know is not healthy into our food system?” Tony Coleman asks. “That makes us no better than the folks who knew the stuff they spread was no good.”
