Sludge Watch ==> WA - Study finds drugs, chemicals in treated waste sold to gardeners

[maureen.reilly at sympatico.ca]

Monday, September 18, 2006 · Last updated 3:08 p.m. PT

Study finds drugs, chemicals in treated waste sold to gardeners

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

TACOMA, Wash. -- Promoted as a great way to dispose of treated waste, the 
sewage sludge sold to homeowners to spray on their lawns and gardens may 
also be adding drugs, flame retardants and other chemicals to the landscape.

Chad Kinney, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Eastern 
Washington University, found dozens of medicinal, industrial and household 
compounds in treated sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, that government 
agencies sell as lawn-and-garden enhancements.

"No matter what biosolid we looked at, there were some of these compounds in 
it," said Kinney, whose research on the subject was published in online 
editions of the journal Environmental Science & Technology. The U.S. 
Geological Survey's Toxic Substance Hydrology Program supported his work, 
which began while he was a postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Geological 
Survey.

Kinney and his team studied nine biosolid products from seven states: 
Washington, Arizona, Wisconsin, Kansas, Colorado, Texas and Iowa.

The scientists found that it didn't matter what wastewater treatment method 
was used, 25 compounds were found in each of the samples. They were looking 
for 87 different compounds and found 55 in one or more of the biosolids and 
at least 30 in each of the samples. The product with the most compounds had 
45.

Although government regulators and health officials said there is no 
immediate risk to public health, the study's authors called for more 
research on the long-term impact on the environment.



"We've been using biosolids for over 30 years safety," said Peggy Leonard, 
biosolids program manager for King County's waste treatment division, which 
produces GroCo. "As far as I know, there is no risk."

Thomas Burke, a professor of public health policy at Johns Hopkins 
University in Baltimore, said Kinney's research and other studies should be 
a wake up call for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"I don't think people understood before this that they might be applying 
pharmaceuticals and disinfectants to their front lawns," Burke said.

The EPA has promoted the benefits of biosolids for decades because they 
contain the same nutrients - nitrogen and phosphorus - found in fertilizers.

Rick Stevens, national biosolids coordinator for the EPA, said in an e-mail 
to The News Tribune of Tacoma that the agency stands by its existing 
biosolids regulations. State officials also said they do not think people 
should worry about exposure to chemicals in biosolids.

In King County, Leonard called Kinney's research a "good start," but said it 
fails to answer whether the chemicals break down in soils and whether they 
pose danger.

Dan Thomas, Tacoma's wastewater operations manager, said the issues raised 
by Kinney's report are not new.

"It's something we need to keep our eye on but we're not super-concerned at 
this time. We know these constituents are here. There's no reason to believe 
there's a health threat," Thomas said.

Soil scientists at Cornell University's Waste Management Institute have been 
asking for more regulatory scrutiny of biosolids.

"I certainly would not use this material on my garden" said Ellen Harrison, 
director of the Waste Management Institute.

Burke of Johns Hopkins called the EPA regulations out of date, adding that 
some of the chemicals identified in the study have been shown to disrupt 
fish reproduction.

"These are things that have biological implications and we have to 
understand them better," Burke said.

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Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com