Sludge Watch ==> USGS- sludge based fertilizers & garden soils add drugs, flame retardants

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

The illogic of sludge regulations in the USA shows up in this story.  Much 
is touted about how a farmer is supposed to observe a waiting period before 
harvesting root and produce crops for human consumption from sewage-sludged 
fields.

But do a little solar drying (Region 5 EPA thinks that's ok) and you can use 
sludge in unlimited amounts for lettuce/broccoli/potatoes and for home 
gardening ... whatever you like.  Let your kids play in it.   The EPA thinks 
the dried sludge needs to meet only one or the other of the salmonella or 
fecal coliform limits before it is fit for unrestricted use in homes and 
farms.

But salmonella and fecal coliform are not the only problems in sludge.  
Sewage sludge, whether dry or wet, Class A or B, contains thousands of drugs 
and metals and chemicals - as the research described below illustrates.

.............................................................................................................


Originally published October 10 2006

Prescription drugs found in soil sludge used for lawns and gardens

(NewsTarget)

According to research by Chad Kinney, assistant professor of chemistry and 
biochemistry at Eastern Washington University, fertilizer made from sewage 
sludge may be adding pharmaceuticals, flame retardants and other chemicals 
to the land.

Kinney's research showed that no less than nine different biosolid products 
were produced by municipal wastewater treatment plants in seven different 
states -- Washington, Arizona, Wisconsin, Kansas, Colorado, Texas and Iowa. 
These biosolid products were analyzed for 87 different organic wastewater 
contaminants, which represents a cross section of medicinal, industrial and 
household compounds.

These compounds are able to enter wastewater treatment plants and may be 
discharged without being completely metabolized or degraded -- causing them 
to show up in the sludge that is then processed into certain garden and yard 
fertilizers. In fact, 55 of the contaminants were detected in at least one 
biosolid product sold as lawn and garden enhancements, and 25 compounds were 
found in every single one of the samples.

Kinney went on to say that "No matter what biosolid we looked at, there were 
some of these compounds in it." His research was published in online edition 
of the journal Environmental Science and Technology. Kinney, who is a 
postdoctoral fellow at the United States Geological Survey (USGS), has the 
support of the USGS's Toxic Substance Hydrology Program as well, who 
supports his research.

Government regulators and health officials say there is no immediate risk to 
public health; however, the study's authors called for more research on the 
long-term impact on the environment. Thomas Burke -- a professor of public 
health policy at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore -- believes that 
Kinney's research is a sobering reminder for the Environmental Protection 
Agency, which has promoted biosolids for decades because they contain the 
same nutrients found in fertilizers.

http://www.newstarget.com/020702.html