Outdoor & Yard / Products / Garden Soil and Compost (Municipal and Commercial)

Garden Soil and Compost (Municipal and Commercial) — outdoor safety profile

Moderate risk

Not medical, veterinary, or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified professional — consult one. Full disclaimer →

Commercially available garden soil, compost, and soil amendments that may contain municipal biosolids (treated sewage sludge).

What is this product?

Commercially available garden soil, compost, and soil amendments that may contain municipal biosolids (treated sewage sludge). Biosolids concentrate PFAS, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and microplastics from wastewater. EPA permits biosolid application to agricultural land and garden soil. PFAS in biosolid-amended soil persists indefinitely and uptakes into vegetables.

What's in it

Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.

Biosolid Contaminant

Who's most at risk

  • Children — Developing endocrine and neurological systems, higher exposure per body weight

Red flags — when to walk away

  • Product used in enclosed or poorly ventilated space — Chemical exposure concentrations increase dramatically in enclosed spaces.

Green flags — what to look for

  • Third-party safety certification visible on packaging — Product has been independently tested to applicable safety standards.

Safer alternatives

  • Biosolid-free compost from known plant-waste sources — Safer alternative to conventional products
  • Home composting from kitchen and yard waste only — Safer alternative to conventional products
  • Raised bed gardens with known-source soil — Safer alternative to conventional products
  • OMRI-listed organic compost — Safer alternative to conventional products

Frequently asked questions

Who should be careful with Garden Soil and Compost (Municipal and Commercial)?

Vulnerable populations identified for this product type: children.

Are there safer alternatives to Garden Soil and Compost (Municipal and Commercial)?

Yes — consider: Biosolid-free compost from known plant-waste sources; Home composting from kitchen and yard waste only; Raised bed gardens with known-source soil. See the Safer alternatives section above for details.

Sources (10)

Citations carried on this product's ALETHEIA record. A bracketed number in the text links to its entry here.

  1. ALETHEIA Safety Database — expert_curation
  2. EPA FIFRA / TSCA (as applicable) · USA — regulation
  3. California Proposition 65 · USA -- California — regulation
  4. IARC Monographs Volume 135: Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) (2023) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  5. US EPA: PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation; PFOA MCL 4 ppt, MCLG zero (2024) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  6. CDC - Lead Poisoning Prevention — cdc (inherited from a compound record)
  7. WHO - Lead Poisoning Fact Sheet (2024) — who (inherited from a compound record)
  8. IARC Monographs Volume 100C: Cadmium and Cadmium Compounds (2012) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  9. US EPA IRIS Assessment: Cadmium (2012) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  10. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · USA — regulatory

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Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →