New Report Finds Fertilizer Overuse is Poisoning America and Costing Billions

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nitrogen pollution from fertilizer overuse exposes millions of Americans to unsafe drinking water and costs the United States more than $59 billion annually, with rural and predominantly low-income communities shouldering disproportionate burdens, according to a new NRDC analysis.

The report, The Nitrogen Pollution Crisis, outlines the scale and sources of nitrogen pollution, who pays for it, and proposes practical steps policymakers can take now to reduce the excess nitrogen that is sickening Americans and costing us billions. This comes at a moment of mass fertilizer shortages due to the U.S. war with Iran.

The following is a statement from J.P. Rose, NRDC’s Director of Soil Health and report author: 

“For far too long, rural communities have endured contaminated water, rising cancer rates, and degraded ecosystems due to rampant overuse of fertilizer. Clean water is a right, not a luxury, and industrial agriculture must address its pollution just like other industries.

“Many farmers are already minimizing nitrogen pollution by implementing sustainable practices, but the deck is stacked against them by a system that rewards excessive use. This is a large problem with a clear solution: create a level playing field through limits on nitrogen fertilizer overapplication and runoff.”
 

Key Findings: 

• About half of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to croplands is not even absorbed by the crops, instead it pollutes our air and our waterways. 
• Over 5 million Americans have unsafe levels of nitrates in their drinking water, which is linked to colorectal, ovarian, and kidney cancers, hormonal disorders, and a condition known as blue baby syndrome which causes newborn babies to suffer from a lack of oxygen.
• Airborne nitrogen pollution exacerbates asthma and is expected to raise skin cancer rates in the coming decades. 
• Agricultural nitrogen pollution is fueling the affordability crisis, costing the United States more than $59 billion annually and imposing unsustainable burdens on taxpayers and governments for emergency drinking water supplies, remediation of harmful algal blooms, and upgrades to water treatment facilities.
• Nearly half of rivers and lakes in the United States are contaminated with nitrogen pollution, which leads to harmful algal blooms that kill or sicken fish and wildlife, and prevent people from swimming and other recreation.
• Agricultural nitrogen pollution is linked to endangered green sea turtles developing painful and often fatal tumors on their heads, eyes, and flippers.
• Decades of voluntary programs have failed to curb overapplication of nitrogen fertilizer.
• Limits on overapplication of nitrogen fertilizer, along with expansion of sustainable farming practices, would deliver cleaner water, healthier ecosystems, and significant climate benefits, without sacrificing agricultural productivity.

Read the full report here.

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).