Metro Neighbors Claim Farmland 'Sludge' Is Making Them Sick

Oklahoma City officials are looking into claims that waste sludge used on farmland is making people sick.

The city has used the treated waste for fertilizer on farm land for more than 30 years.

“We’ve stayed ill with seven ER visits and two hospitalizations,” said Paula Yockel, who addressed OKC City Council Tuesday.

Yockel is asking the city to stop its sludge program and feels she’ll have to move out of her NE OKC home if nothing is done. She and her husband have spent more than $10,000 on research, showing the air found on sludge-treated fields has ended inside their house near East Hefner and Westminster Rd.

“Sludge farmland is essentially like a 100-acre petri dish,” added Yockel, who claims her young son now suffers from a blood disorder due to the sludge.

“It’s so bad, it takes your breath,” said Robert Biershenk, who also addressed City Council with claims that the sludge is making him sick.

“We are evaluating those concerns to see if we can do any improvements to our processes,” said OKC’s Acting Director of Public Utilities Bret Weingart.

The city says it is following guidelines set forth by the EPA. Neighbors say those guidelines clearly aren’t protecting their health.